DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

棘手

Mandarin · pinyin jí shǒu

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

2–3 · ji2 shou3

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 2 Cantonese readings

kik1 sau2

Cantonese word readings for 棘手. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

gik1 sau2

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.

(literally) thorny
(figuratively) difficult to handle; thorny; troublesome; knotty; prickly; intractable