DIFFICULT  困難

POSSIBLE BUT EVEN-IF TRIED ONLY ACHIEVED RARELY OR ONLY by USING BIG EFFORT.
HARDSTRENUOUSARDUOUSLABORIOUSTOUGHONEROUSBURDENSOMEDEMANDINGPUNISHINGGRUELINGBACK-BREAKINGEXHAUSTINGTIRINGFATIGUINGWEARISOMEINFORMAL HELLISHKILLINGARCHAIC TOILSOMEHARDCOMPLICATEDCOMPLEXINVOLVEDIMPENETRABLEUNFATHOMABLEOVER/ABOVE ONE'S HEADBEYOND ONEPUZZLINGBAFFLINGPERPLEXINGCONFUSINGMYSTIFYINGPROBLEMATICINTRICATEKNOTTYTHORNYTICKLISH
Antonym
  • EASYPOSSIBLE AND IF TRIED OFTEN ACHIEVED LACKING:without EFFORT.
    Hypernym
    • POSSIBLEABLE TO BE DONE OR ABLE TO HAPPEN, OR ABLE TO BE THE CASE. 
      • ABLEHAVE FEATURES one NEEDS in SELF:oneself FOR ACHIEVING something.
        • HAVERELATION to something such that it BE-IN:is in one OR is CONTROLLED by one.
          • RELATIONFEATURE of TWO OR MORE THINGS TOGETHER....
    Hyponym
    Old Chinese Criteria
    1. The clearly dominant word for anything that is hard to achieve or hard to sustain is nán 難 (ant. yì 易 "easy").

    2. Jiān 艱 refers to hardship and diffuculties, typically with respect to certain tasks.

    3. Jù 劇 "critical, virulent" sometimes has usages that come close to "troublesome, difficult".

    Modern Chinese Criteria
    困難

    艱難

    繁難

    萬難

    疑難

    難

    難於登天

    為難

    難人

    作難

    討厭

    棘手

    纏手

    扎手

    辣手

    吃力

    費力

    吃勁

    費勁

    費事

    費時

    費難

    好不容易

    好容易

    費手腳

    費精神

    費心思

    老火

    傷腦筋

    談何容易

    來之不易

    千難萬難

    難上加難

    寸步難行

    積重難返

    戛戛乎難哉

    海底撈針

    大海撈針

    挾山超海

    挾泰山超北海

    rough draft to BEGIN TO identify synonym group members for analysis, based on CL etc. 18.11.2003. CH ／

    • A Dictionary of Selected Synonyms in the Principal Indo-European Languages ( BUCK 1988) p. 9.97

    • De Rerum Humanarum Emendatione ( COMENIUS 1665) p. 508

      DIFFICILIS, e, qvod sine Virium intensione fieri non potest. Req. 1. Ut res sit possibile. Nam quod impossibile, nulla virium intensione peragitur. 2. Vires aliqvae. 3. aegre illuc sufficientes.

      5 Axioms

    • Lateinische Synonyme und Etymologien ( DOEDERLEIN 1840) p.

      DIFFICULT

      arduus refers to something being hard of access.

      difficilis refers to something being hard to do.

    • Anthologia sive Florilegium rerum et materiarum selectarum ( LANGIUS 1631) p.

      ADVERSITAS

      DIFFICULTAS

    • Lateinische Synonymik ( MENGE) p. 321

    • 中國文化背景八千詞 Zhongguo wenhua beijing ba qian ci ( WU SANXING 2008) p. 371ff

    • Using Chinese Synonyms ( GRACE ZHANG 2010) p. 171

    • Chinese Synonyms Usage Dictionary ( TENG SHOU-HSIN 1996) p. 68

    • Chinese Synonyms Usage Dictionary ( TENG SHOU-HSIN 1996) p. 280

    • Bibliographisches Handbuch zur Sprachinhaltsforschung. Teil II. Systematischer Teil. B. Ordnung nach Sinnbezirken (mit einem alphabetischen Begriffsschluessel): Der Mensch und seine Welt im Spiegel der Sprachforschung ( FRANKE 1989) p. 60A

    Words

    難  nán OC: mɢlaan MC: nɑn 140 AttributionsWD

    The clearly dominant word for anything that is hard to achieve or hard to sustain is nán 難 (ant. yì 易 "easy").

      Word relations
    • Ant: 易/EASY The current general word for easiness of actions is yì 易 (ant. nán 難 "difficult").
    • Ant: 便/CONVENIENT
    • Assoc: 艱/DISTRESS Jiān 艱 refers to hardship and diffuculties, typically with respect to certain tasks.
    • Oppos: 可/ABLE Kě 可 is occasionally used for kěyǐ 可以 and typically comes before passivised verbs: "be V-able".

      Syntactic words
    • nab.post-Nactdifficulty in N
    • nabfactualnàn: difficult situation; difficult point, difficulty; what is difficult; difficult task; difficulties ahead
    • v[adN]what is difficult; what is problematic; what is complicatedCH
    • vi0-V{SUBJECT}it is difficult to VCH
    • vievent, inchoativerun into difficulties
    • vifigurativebe difficult (i.e. impossible)
    • vigradedbe (comparatively) difficult; [cf: 甚難 which proves the graded nature of the predicate]
    • visubject=humanbe a difficult case (said of persons); have problems
    • visuperlativebe (the prototypically/most) difficultCH
    • vt+prep+Nabbe more difficult than NabCH
    • vt+prep+NPab{ACT}have difficulties VERBing 難乎有恆
    • vt+V[0]find it difficult to V, have trouble (doing something), have a hard time (doing something), find it hard to; be unlikely to (commit an offence one is bound to be punished for)
    • vt+V[0]omfind it difficult to (do what is topicalised before 難)
    • vt+V[0]{PASS}be hard to V, to be V-ed
    • vtoNcausativeto make N difficult, to complicate NLZ
    • vtoNcausative, passivebe made more difficult; be made difficultCH
    • vtoNputativeregard something as difficult; find something dificult 難之
    • vt＋V(0)it is difficult (for the conceptually determinate N) to VCH
    困  kùn OC: khuuns MC: khuo̝n 2 AttributionsWD
      Syntactic words
    • ndifficulties; desperate situation; trouble
    • vtoNface as difficulty, be faced with as troublingCH
    • vtoNcausativecause serious difficulties for
    有  yǒu OC: ɢʷɯʔ MC: ɦɨu 2 AttributionsWD
      Syntactic words
    • VPiexpected answer: no!what problems would there be?
    勞  láo OC: raaw MC: lɑu 1 AttributionWD
      Syntactic words
    • vt+V[0]have a hard time doing something ??????????
    嶮  xiǎn OC: qhromʔ MC: hiɛm 1 AttributionWD
      Syntactic words
    • vadNdifficult to walk or drive on (of roads etc)
    警  jǐng OC: kreŋʔ MC: kɣaŋ 1 AttributionWD
      Syntactic words
    • nabeventalarm; alarming situation, crisis
    煩難  fán nán OC: ban mɢlaan MC: bi̯ɐn nɑn 1 AttributionWD
      Syntactic words
    • VPadNtroublesome or difficult
    難可  nán kě OC: mɢlaan khlaalʔ MC: nɑn khɑ 1 AttributionWD
      Syntactic words
    • VPt+V[0]V=passivebe hard to V
    重  zhòng OC: doŋʔ MC: ɖi̯oŋ 1 AttributionWD
      Syntactic words
    • vibe a heavy task, be hard to do
    難與  nán yǔ MC: nan yoX OC: mɢlaan k-laʔCH 1 AttributionWD
      Syntactic words
    • VPi-V=難以　hard toCH
    岨峿  qū wú MC: tshjo ngu OC: skha ŋaaCH 1 AttributionWD
      Syntactic words
    • VPibe excruciatingly hard to come to grips withCH
    難  nàn MC: nanX OC: mɢlaansCH 1 AttributionWD
      Syntactic words
    • nabdifficultyCH
    事  shì MC: dzriH OC: dzrɯsCH 1 AttributionWD
      Syntactic words
    • nabdifficulty, troubleCH
    難事  nán shì MC: nan dzriH OC: mɢlaan dzrɯsCH 1 AttributionWD
      Syntactic words
    • NPpost-N(even) the most difficult matter in NCH
    難能  nán néng MC: nan noj OC: mɢlaan nɯɯŋCH 1 AttributionWD
      Syntactic words
    • VPifigurativebe hard to do> be remarkable as an achievementCH
    劇  jù OC: ɡlaɡ MC: gɣɛk 0 AttributionsWD

    Jù 劇"critical, virulent" sometimes has usages that come close to "troublesome, difficult".

      Syntactic words
    • nabfactualtroublesome tasks
    • nsubjectwhat is difficult; the burdensome; troublesome tasks
    • vioccasionally: be troublesome to deal with, critical XINLUN 劇如此
    屯  zhūn OC: tun MC: ʈʷin
    屯  tún OC: duun MC: duo̝n 0 AttributionsWD
      Syntactic words
    • vidifficult
    厄  è OC: qreeɡ MC: ʔɣɛk 0 AttributionsWD
      Syntactic words
    • nstraits; difficulties (MENG)
    難及  nán jí OC: mɢlaan ɡrɯb MC: nɑn gip 0 AttributionsWD
      Syntactic words
    • VPadNdifficult to get to the point of doing or reaching
    難忍  nán rěn OC: mɢlaan njinʔ MC: nɑn ȵin 0 AttributionsWD
      Syntactic words
    • VPpostadVto V insufferably??? ???
    難易  nán yì OC: mɢlaan leeɡs MC: nɑn jiɛ 0 AttributionsWD
      Syntactic words
    • NPabfeaturerelative difficulty
    深  shēn MC: syim OC: qhljum
    深  shēn MC: syim OC: qhljum 0 AttributionsWD
      Syntactic words
    • vibe difficult to understand
      Click here to add pinyin MC:  OC: CH 0 AttributionsWD
      Syntactic words
    • VPi-V=難以　hard toCH
      Click here to add pinyin MC:  OC: CH 0 AttributionsWD
      Syntactic words
    • VPibe excruciatingly hardCH

    Existing SW for

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