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为难 (wéi nán) — (adjective) feeling awkward, embarrassed, or in a tight spot; (verb) to make things difficult for (someone), to put in a bind

Definition

为难 is a verb meaning 'to put someone in a bind / make things difficult for them'; as an adjective it means 'to feel awkward or caught in a dilemma' (like 难堪). Unlike 刁难, it is usually not deliberate.

adjective
feeling awkwardembarrassedor in a tight spot
verb
to make things difficult for (someone)to put in a bind

Examples

  • 为难。
    Zhè jiàn shì ràng tā hěn wéi nán.
    This matter made him feel very awkward.
  • ，为难。
    Dà jiā dōu tóng yì le, nǐ bié zài wéi nán wǒ le.
    Everyone has agreed; don't keep making things difficult for me.
  • ，。
    Tā zhàn zài zhōng jiān, zuǒ yòu wéi nán.
    He stood in the middle, caught between a rock and a hard place.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

为wèimake
难nándifficulty

为 carries 'make' and 难 carries 'difficulty', so the word means to make things difficult.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 為; 为 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 為 showed a hand holding an elephant; the simplified 为 is a later shorthand.

Open 为 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 難; 难 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
隹隹zhuībird
Sound part声符shēngfú
暵
暵hàn難nán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional 難 pairs 隹, a bird, with 暵 for sound, and meant a type of bird. It was later borrowed for other meanings; the modern 难 is a shorthand.

Open 难 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Emotions & Feelings

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