难以启齿 (nán) — 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.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.Regarding where that money went, he has always found it hard to talk about it.
- 难以启齿，。Tā yǒu yì xiē nán 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.
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