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难上加难 (nán) — extremely difficult, adding difficulty on top of difficulty

Definition

A fixed idiom meaning 'even harder on top of already being hard' — emphasizes piling extra difficulty onto an already tough situation, stronger than plain 难.

idiom
extremely difficultadding difficulty on top of difficulty

Examples

  • ，难上加难。
    Zhè ge xiàng mù běn lái jiù hěn nán, xiàn zài gèng shì nán.
    This project was already difficult, and now it's even more so.
  • 难上加难。
    Xiǎng tōng guò zhè cì kǎo shì zhēn shì nán.
    Passing this exam is truly extremely difficult.
  • ，难上加难。
    Zài è liè tiān qì xià dēng shān, zhēn shì nán.
    Climbing a mountain in bad weather is adding difficulty on top of difficulty.

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