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来之不易 (lái zhī-bú yì) — (idiom) hard to come by; hard-won; not easily obtained

Definition

A four-character idiom: something is hard to come by, so it's valued. 难得 emphasizes how rare an event is; 来之不易 stresses that the result was hard-won, so treasure it.

idiom
hard to come byhard-wonnot easily obtained

Examples

  • 来之不易，。
    Hé píng lái zhī-bú yì, wǒ men yí dìng yào hǎo hǎo zhēn xī.
    Peace is hard won; we must cherish it well.
  • 来之不易，。
    Zhè cì lái zhī-bú yì de jī huì, nǐ yí dìng yào bǎ wò zhù.
    This hard-won opportunity must be seized.
  • 来之不易，。
    Měi yí fèn shōu huò dōu lái zhī-bú yì, bú yào qīng yì fàng qì.
    Every gain comes hard; don't give up easily.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

来之obtain it
来láiobtain之zhīit
动宾Verb + object
不易not easy
不bùnot易yìeasy
偏正Modifier + head

“来之” points to obtaining something, and “不易” says it is not easy, so the sense is hard-won.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 來; 来 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 來 shows a wheat plant: a central ear, upward leaves, and downward stem and roots. The simplified 来 is a later shorthand.

Open 来 →

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

The shape pairs 止, a foot, with 一, a beginning place, and means to go.

Open 之 →

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

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

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

The early form of 易 was a drawing of a filled container, not a chameleon. It showed something full that could be given out.

Open 易 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Idioms & Set Phrases

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