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難以為繼

简难以为继 · 繁難以為繼

Mandarin · pinyin nán yǐ wéi jì

(idiom) difficult to carry on; unsustainable

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Characters in this entry

難: Look up this written character
以: yǐ · by means of; thereby, therefore; consider as; in order to
為: Look up this written character
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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Mandarin tones

2–3–2–4 · nan2 yi3 wei2 ji4

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

難以為繼 · find source passages ↗ · 难以为继 · find source passages ↗

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

(idiomatic) difficult to sustain; unsustainable

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

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