Usage of the character 難

lit. to sound out the difficulties and retreat to avoid defeat (idiom)
fig. to back out of an awkward situation; to get out on finding out what it's really like

yànxiàkùnnán

咽下困难

[嚥下困難]

dysphagia (medicine)

nányúdēngtiān

难于登天

[難於登天]

harder than climbing to heaven (idiom)

qiānnánwànnán

千难万难

[千難萬難]

extremely difficult

luòluònánhé

落落难合

[落落難合]

a loner
someone who does not easily get along with others

nányǐhàndòng

难以撼动

[難以撼動]

unsusceptible to change
deeply entrenched

yīyánnánjìn

一言难尽

[一言難盡]

hard to explain in a few words (idiom); complicated and not easy to express succinctly

duōzāiduōnàn

多灾多难

[多災多難]

to be plagued with misfortunes
precarious

zuǒyòuwéinán

左右为难

[左右為難]

(idiom) between a rock and a hard place
in a dilemma

shàncáinánshě

善财难舍

[善財難捨]

to cherish wealth and find it hard to give up (idiom); refusing to contribute to charity
skinflint
miserly

páinànjiěfēn

排难解纷

[排難解紛]

to remove perils and solve disputes (idiom); to reconcile differences

qíhǔnánxià

骑虎难下

[騎虎難下]

if you ride a tiger, it's hard to get off (idiom); fig. impossible to stop halfway

nányǐzhìxìn

难以置信

[難以置信]

hard to believe
incredible

xiūkuìnándāng

羞愧难当

[羞愧難當]

to feel ashamed (idiom)

jīxínángǎi

积习难改

[積習難改]

old habits are hard to change (idiom)

chāchìnánfēi

插翅难飞

[插翅難飛]

lit. even given wings, you couldn't fly (idiom); fig. impossible to escape

sòngdúkùnnanzhèng

诵读困难症

[誦讀困難症]

dyslexia

Yēsū Shòunànjié

耶稣受难节

[耶穌受難節]

Good Friday

huànnànjiànzhēnqíng

患难见真情

[患難見真情]

true sentiments are seen in hard times (idiom)
you see who your true friends are when you go through tough times together
you see who your true friends are when you are in difficulties

wànshìqǐtóunán

万事起头难

[萬事起頭難]

the first step is the hardest (idiom)

bǐdēngtiānháinán

比登天还难

[比登天還難]

lit. even harder than reaching the sky (idiom)
fig. extremely difficult
far from an easy task

wànshìkāitóunán

万事开头难

[萬事開頭難]

every beginning is difficult (idiom)
getting started is always the hardest part

niúbùhēshuǐnán'ànjiǎo

牛不喝水难按角

[牛不喝水難按角]

(idiom) you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink

yīngxióngnánguòměirénguān

英雄难过美人关

[英雄難過美人關]

even heroes have a weakness for the charms of a beautiful woman (idiom)

qǐngshénróngyìsòngshénnán

请神容易送神难

[請神容易送神難]

it's easier to invite the devil in than to send him away

cùnjīnnánmǎicùnguāngyīn

寸金难买寸光阴

[寸金難買寸光陰]

An ounce of gold can't buy you an interval of time (idiom); Money can't buy you time.
Time is precious.

qīngguānnánduànjiāwùshì

清官难断家务事

[清官難斷家務事]

even an honest and upright official will have difficulty resolving a family dispute (proverb)

Huángdì Bāshíyī Nànjīng

黄帝八十一难经

[黃帝八十一難經]

The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Eighty-one Difficulties, medical text, c. 1st century AD

jiājiāyǒuběnnánniàndejīng

家家有本难念的经

[家家有本難念的經]

every family has its problems (idiom)

guānguānnánguò,guānguānguò

关关难过，关关过

[關關難過，關關過]

to meet with great difficulties but pull through

qiǎofùnánwéiwúmǐzhīchuī

巧妇难为无米之炊

[巧婦難為無米之炊]

The cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice (idiom); You won't get anywhere without equipment.

jiāngshānyìgǎibǐngxìngnányí

江山易改禀性难移

[江山易改稟性難移]

rivers and mountains are easy to change, man's character much harder

yīyánjìchū,sìmǎnánzhuī

一言既出，驷马难追

[一言既出，駟馬難追]

lit. once said, a team of horses cannot unsay it (idiom); a promise must be kept

jūnzǐyīyán,sìmǎnánzhuī

君子一言，驷马难追

[君子一言，駟馬難追]

a nobleman's word is his bond (proverb)

Yánwánghǎojiàn,xiǎoguǐnándāng

阎王好见，小鬼难当

[閻王好見，小鬼難當]

lit. standing in front of the King of Hell is easy, but smaller devils are difficult to deal with (idiom)

hǎojièhǎohuán,zàijièbùnán

好借好还，再借不难

[好借好還，再借不難]

see 有借有還，再借不難／有借有还，再借不难 (yǒujièyǒuhuán,zàijièbùnán)

qiānjūnyìdé,yījiàngnánqiú

千军易得，一将难求

[千軍易得，一將難求]

Easy to raise an army of one thousand, but hard to find a good general. (idiom)

yǒujièyǒuhuán,zàijièbùnán

有借有还，再借不难

[有借有還，再借不難]

return what you borrowed on time, you may borrow again next time (idiom)

jiāngshānyìgǎi,běnxìngnányí

江山易改，本性难移

[江山易改，本性難移]

it is easier to change mountains and rivers than to alter one's character (idiom)
you can't change who you are
Can the leopard change his spots?

míngqiāngyìduǒ,ànjiànnánfáng

明枪易躲，暗箭难防

[明槍易躲，暗箭難防]

lit. easy to dodge the spear in the open, hard to avoid a stab in the dark (idiom); it is hard to guard against secret conspiracies

yǒufútóngxiǎng,yǒunàntóngdāng

有福同享，有难同当

[有福同享，有難同當]

To enjoy blessings and endure misfortune together (idiom); for better or for worse

dànànbùsǐ,bìyǒuhòufú

大难不死，必有后福

[大難不死，必有後福]

one is bound for good fortune after surviving a great disaster (proverb)

míngqiānghǎoduǒ,ànjiànnánfáng

明枪好躲，暗箭难防

[明槍好躲，暗箭難防]

lit. easy to dodge the spear in the open, hard to avoid a stab in the dark (idiom); it is hard to guard against secret conspiracies

nípúsàguòjiāng,zìshēnnánbǎo

泥菩萨过江，自身难保

[泥菩薩過江，自身難保]

like a clay Bodhisattva fording a river, can't guarantee his own safety
unable to save oneself, let alone others

yóujiǎnrùshēyì,yóushērùjiǎnnán

由俭入奢易，由奢入俭难

[由儉入奢易，由奢入儉難]

(idiom) it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance; the reverse is not so easy

bǎishèngnánlüdí,sānzhénǎiliángyī

百胜难虑敌，三折乃良医

[百勝難慮敵，三折乃良醫]

(a line from a poem by the Tang poet Liu Yuxi 劉禹錫／刘禹锡 ( Liú Yǔxī)) one gains very little insight into one's enemy from a hundred victories, but he who breaks his arm three times will be a good doctor
(fig.) one learns more from one's failures than from one's successes

shìshàngwúnánshì,zhǐpàyǒuxīnrén

世上无难事，只怕有心人

[世上無難事，只怕有心人]

see 天下無難事，只怕有心人／天下无难事，只怕有心人 (tiānxiàwúnánshì,zhǐpàyǒuxīnrén)

tiānxiàwúnánshì,zhǐpàyǒuxīnrén

天下无难事，只怕有心人

[天下無難事，只怕有心人]

lit. there is nothing the determined person can't accomplish (idiom)
fig. persistence will overcome

zàijiāqiānrìhǎo,chūményīshínán

在家千日好，出门一时难

[在家千日好，出門一時難]

lit. at home, one can spend a thousand days in comfort, but spending a day away from home can be challenging (idiom)
fig. there's no place like home

Liánhéguó Nánmín Shìwù Gāojí Zhuānyuán Bànshìchù

联合国难民事务高级专员办事处

[聯合國難民事務高級專員辦事處]

Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

yīcùnguāngyīnyīcùnjīn,cùnjīnnánmǎicùnguāngyīn

一寸光阴一寸金，寸金难买寸光阴

[一寸光陰一寸金，寸金難買寸光陰]

lit. an interval of time is worth an ounce of gold, money cannot buy you time (idiom)
fig. time is precious

céngjīngcānghǎinánwéishuǐ,chúquè Wū Shānbùshìyún

曾经沧海难为水，除却巫山不是云

[曾經滄海難為水，除卻巫山不是雲]

there are no rivers to one who has crossed the ocean, and no clouds to one who has passed Mount Wu (idiom)
one who has seen the world doesn't stop at small things