犯难 (fàn nán) — to be in a dilemma, to feel troubled (about what to do)

Definition

犯难 means to feel troubled or stuck when facing a hard choice — 'to be in a dilemma'. Often reduplicates or takes 一次 to mark a single occurrence, as in 犯了一次难.

verb
to be in a dilemmato feel troubled (about what to do)

Examples

  • 。
    Zhè jiàn shì ràng wǒ fàn le yí cì nán.
    This matter put me in a dilemma once.
  • 犯难。
    Tā zhèng zài wèi xuǎn zé gōng zuò fàn nán.
    He is troubled about choosing a job.
  • 犯难，。
    Bié fàn nán le, wǒ bāng nǐ jué dìng.
    Don't be troubled, I'll help you decide.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

犯fànincur
难nándifficulty

犯 “incur” and 难 “difficulty” combine to mean getting into a difficult situation.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
犬犬quǎn
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢎘
𢎘𢎘犯fàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

犯 combines 犬 and 𢎘: 犬 gives the meaning, and 𢎘 gives the sound.

Open 犯 →

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 →

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