DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

一言難盡

简一言难尽 · 繁一言難盡

Mandarin · pinyin yī yán nán jìn

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

Characters in this entry

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

1–2–2–4 · yi1 yan2 nan2 jin4

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

4character links

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

jat1 jin4 naan4 zeon6

Cantonese word readings for 一言難盡. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

jat1 jin4 naan4 zeon6

Pleco · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Word reading; meanings not aligned.

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

(of complicated matters) to be hard to explain in a few words; there is a lot to say; it's a long story