In the last video, we talked about “覆水難收.” I hope you still remember that I pronounced it as ㄋㄢˊ (nán), because this character has two different pronunciations.
難
ㄋㄢˊ (nán) ：
- When used as an adjective, it means there are many obstacles, making something hard to complete or achieve. For example: "困難" (difficult).
- When used as an adverb, "難" also means "difficult." For example: 中文很難學。 (Chinese is hard to learn.) "難" modifies the verb "學"(learn) that follows it. Alternatively, it can mean "bad," "unpleasant," or "unable to." Examples include "難看" (ugly/bad-looking) and "難吃" (distasteful/bad-tasting).
- When used as a verb, it means to be stuck, trapped, or to put someone in a difficult position. For example, "刁難" (to make things difficult) refers to the act of intentionally creating obstacles in a situation to make it hard for others to cope or achieve their goals.
Another pronunciation is
ㄋㄢˋ(nàn)
- When used as a noun, it refers to a disaster or calamity, such as '"災難" (catastrophe). It can also mean a revolt or uprising, such as "發難", which means to rise in revolt or launch an attack.
- As an adjective, it describes someone who has suffered from a disaster. For example: "難民" (refugee), which refers to people who have fled their country for political, religious, economic, or war-related reasons.
- When used as a verb, it can also mean to question or reprove. For example: "責難"(to blame or censure), which refers to the act of criticizing or pointing out someone else's faults or mistakes.
Now, let's examine the terms and phrases related to "難".
1. 為難
This term has two primary usages.
The first is to put someone in a difficult position or make things hard for them, which is synonymous with "刁難." For instance, the phrase "百般刁難" literally means “making things difficult in a hundred different ways.” It refers to going out of one's way to find fault, intentionally causing displeasure, or stopping things from proceeding smoothly.
The second usage is used to express that one feels difficulty in making a decision.
- 既然他已經道歉了，你就別再為難他了。
Since he has already apologized, stop making things difficult for him.
- 儘管我已經按照合約完成了所有工作，那個客戶還是百般刁難，拒絕支付尾款。
Even though I completed all the work according to the contract, that client still made things difficult for me in every possible way and refused to pay the final balance.
- 這件事讓我感到很為難，不知道該幫哪一邊才好。
This situation puts me in a dilemma; I don't know which side I should support.
2. 難言之隱
It refers to something difficult to talk about or disclose. It could be painful to discuss, or due to feelings of shame, embarrassment, or because one has made a promise to someone and must keep the secret.
- 他對那件事避而不談，顯然是有什麼難言之隱。He skirted the topic, evidently because there was something he felt he couldn't discuss.
3. 明槍易躲，暗箭難防
The literal meaning is "an open spear is easy to dodge, but a hidden arrow is difficult to defend against." It is used to describe how a direct, visible attack is manageable, but a secret plot or betrayal is much harder to prevent.
- 所以人家說：「寧可得罪君子，切莫得罪小人」，畢竟明槍易躲、暗箭難防。As the saying goes, "It is better to offend a gentleman than to provoke a treacherous person," because open attacks are easy to dodge, but hidden ones are hard to guard against.
4. 避難
It means to seek refuge or take shelter to escape from disasters or danger.
避難所 shelter：A building designed to provide protection from bad weather, danger, or attack.
- 地震發生時，不要急著移動到空曠地方避難，而應該先趴下保護頭部。
When an earthquake occurs, don't rush to move to an open space to take shelter. Instead, you should first drop down and protect your head.
- 附近公園內的市民活動中心是政府指定的避難所。
The community center in the nearby park serves as a government-designated evacuation center.
5. 大難臨頭
It literally means "a great disaster has arrived at one's doorstep." It is used to describe an imminent and unavoidable crisis.
- 直到警察找上門，他才意識到自己大難臨頭了。
It wasn't until the police showed up at his door that he realized disaster was imminent.
6. 大難不死，必有後福
This means that if you survive a life-threatening crisis, you are bound to experience great luck or happiness in the future. This idea is often used to comfort someone who has just experienced a traumatic event.
- 不要擔心，俗話說「大難不死，必有後福」，事情會好轉的。
Don't worry. As the saying goes, 'One who survives a great disaster is destined for good fortune.' Things will get better.
Thanks for reading! If you want to hear the correct pronunciation and intonation, don't forget to watch the video at the beginning of this post. See you next time!
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