{{Grammar Box}} 难 (nán) is an adjective that means "difficult." When something is "hard to do" (as in difficult), the word 难 (nán) can be used before the verb. == 难 (nán) with General Verbs == Just as 好 (hǎo) can be used to indicate that it's [[Using "hao" to mean "easy"|easy to do something]], 难 (nán) can be attached to verbs (with a few special exceptions), to indicate that something is ''hard to do''. === Structure === The structure is:
Subj. + (很) 难 + Verb
=== Examples ===
* 这 句 话 很 难 懂。 Zhè jù huà hěn nán dǒng.This sentence is hard to understand. * 汉语 很 难 学。Hànyǔ hěn nán xué.Mandarin is hard to learn. * 中国菜 很 难 做。Zhōngguó cài hěn nán zuò.Chinese food is hard to make. * 这 个 东西 现在 很 难 买。Zhège dōngxi xiànzài hěn nán mǎi. This thing is really difficult to purchase now. *这 个 汉字 很 难 写。Zhège Hànzì hěn nán xiě.This character is very difficult to write.
== 难 (nán) with Sense Verbs == 难 (nán) can also be attached to "sense verbs" (e.g. look, taste, smell, etc.) to indicate that something offers a "bad sensory experience." === Structure === The structure is:
Subj. + (很) 难 + [Sense Verb]
=== Examples ===
* 你 做 的 菜 很 难吃。Nǐ zuò de cài hěn nánchī.The dishes you cook taste bad. * 这里 的 咖啡 很 难喝。Zhè lǐ de kāfēi hěn nánhē.The coffee here tastes bad. * 这 首 歌 很 难听。Zhè shǒu gē hěn nántīng.This song is terrible (hard to listen to). * 这 种 花 很 难闻。Zhè zhǒng huā hěn nánwén.This kind of flower smells bad. * 这 件 衣服 很 难看吗？Zhè jiàn yīfu hěn nánkàn ma? Is this article of clothing ugly?
'''Warning!''' If you're trying to say that a particular dish is "difficult to eat," don't use 难吃 (nánchī)! The word 难吃 (nánchī) ''only'' means "bad-tasting" and ''not'' "difficult to eat." ==See also== *[[Using "hao" to mean "easy"]] *[[Expressing Difficulty with "hao (bu) rongyi"]] == Sources and further reading == === Books === * [[Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed)]] (p. 232) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276709/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276709 →buy] [[Category:A2 grammar points]] {{Used for|Describing actions}} {{Basic Grammar|难|A2|难 + Verb|难 做。难 买。|grammar point|ASG35T4H}} {{Similar|Using "hao" to mean "easy"}} {{Similar|Expressing Difficulty with "hao (bu) rongyi"}} {{POS|Verbs}} {{Subprop|Verb phrases}} {{Translation|Hard}} {{Translation|Bad}} {{Translation|Difficult}}