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难以置信 (nán yǐ zhì xìn) — incredible; unbelievable; hard to believe

Definition

'Hard to believe' — emphasizes personal shock or skepticism. 不可思议 leans toward 'logically inconceivable'; 荒诞 adds a tone of absurdity.

phrase
incredibleunbelievablehard to believe

Examples

  • ，难以置信。
    Tā jū rán zài yì tiān nèi wán chéng le suǒ yǒu rèn wu, zhēn nán yǐ zhì xìn.
    He actually finished all the tasks in one day — truly incredible.
  • 难以置信，。
    nán yǐ zhì xìn De shì, zhè me xiǎo de hái zi jìng rán néng jiě chū zhè dào tí.
    Incredibly, such a young child could solve this problem.
  • 难以置信，。
    Zhè ge xiāo xi lìng rén nán yǐ zhì xìn, wǒ wán quán méi xiǎng dào.
    This news is unbelievable — I never expected it.

Origin

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.

Open 难 →

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

The shape came from a drawing of a person carrying something; in 以, part of that person is still visible on the right.

Open 以 →

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
罒Written in full as网wǎng
Sound part声符shēngfú
直
直zhí置zhì
Same sound today

置 is built from 罒, a net, on top and 直 below; 直 gives the sound.

Open 置 →

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
言言yánwords
Sound part声符shēngfú
人
人rén信xìn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

信 pairs 人 as the sound part with 言 (words) as the meaning part.

Open 信 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Attitudes & OpinionsIdioms & Set Phrases2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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