难于 (nán yú) — (formal) to be difficult to; hard to

Definition

难于 is a formal written phrase, like 'difficult to' or 'hard to' before a verb. It is more literary than the everyday 难.

verb

(formal) to be difficult tohard to

难于。
Zhè ge wèn tí nán yú jiě jué.
This problem is difficult to solve.
难于。
Zhè zhǒng guān xì nán yú wéi chí.
This kind of relationship is hard to maintain.
难于。
Zhè ge jì huà nán yú shí xiàn.
This plan is difficult to realize.

Derived word

构词法gòucífǎ

后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

难nándifficult

难 means 'difficult'; 于 adds the sense 'to', giving 'difficult to'.

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.

The old shape of 于 may have pictured an ancient wind instrument. Another explanation reads 一 as a flat stream of air and 丂 as an exhaling mark.

Appears in