难事 (nán shì) — difficult matter; tough task

Definition

noun

difficult mattertough task

Measure word · 件

难事。
Zhè jiàn shì duì tā lái shuō shì yí jiàn nán shì.
This matter is a difficult task for him.
，难事。
Zhǐ yào nǔ lì, rèn hé nán shì dōu néng jiě jué.
As long as you work hard, any difficult matter can be solved.
难事。
Zài gōng zuò zhōng tā zǒng néng kè fú gè zhǒng nán shì.
At work he can always overcome various difficult matters.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

难nándifficult

'难' means difficult and '事' means matter, giving a difficult task.

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.

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

In 事, 又 is a hand and 中 is a flagpole with a drum; holding a flag in hand depicts performing a job.

Appears in