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难以启齿 (nán yǐ qǐ chǐ) — to find it hard to bring up (something embarrassing); to be too ashamed to speak about

Definition

A four-character idiom meaning 'too embarrassing or shameful to mention'. Used for delicate topics (money, secrets, personal matters) that the speaker wants to avoid bringing up.

idiom
to find it hard to bring up (something embarrassing)to be too ashamed to speak about

Examples

  • ，难以启齿。
    Zhè jiàn shì shí zài tài diū liǎn le, wǒ nán yǐ qǐ chǐ.
    This matter is really too embarrassing; I find it hard to speak about it.
  • ，难以启齿。
    Guān yú nà bǐ qián de qù xiàng, tā yì zhí nán yǐ qǐ chǐ.
    Regarding where that money went, he has always found it hard to talk about it.
  • 难以启齿，。
    Tā yǒu yì xiē nán yǐ qǐ chǐ de yǐn sī, wǒ men bú bì zhuī wèn.
    He has some private matters that are hard to speak about; we don't need to press.

Origin

Characters in this word

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape came from a drawing of a person carrying something; in 以, part of that person is still visible on the right.

Open 以 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 啟; 启 is its simplified writing.

For 启, the traditional form 啟 comes from an earlier shape with 戶 (door) and 又 (hand), showing a hand opening a door.

Open 启 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 齒; 齿 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 齒 originally drew a mouth full of teeth, and later gained a part that gives a clue to its sound. The simplified 齿 is a later shorthand.

Open 齿 →
Appears in
Communication & SpeechIdioms & Set Phrases

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