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難以為繼

简 难以为继 · 繁 難以為繼
Mandarin · pinyin nán yǐ wéi jì

Meanings

  1. (idiom) difficult to carry on; unsustainable
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Characters in this entry

難
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以
yǐ · by means of; thereby, therefore; consider as; in order to
為
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繼
Look up this written character
难
nán · difficult, arduous, hard; unable
为
wèi · do, handle, govern, act; be
继
jì · continue, maintain, carry on
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Entries containing 難以為繼 ↗Words written with 難 ↗Words written with 以 ↗Words written with 為 ↗Words written with 繼 ↗Words written with 难 ↗Words written with 为 ↗Words written with 继 ↗

Mandarin tones

2–3–2–4 · nan2 yi3 wei2 ji4

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Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

  1. (idiomatic) difficult to sustain; unsustainable

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack