DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

難能可貴

简难能可贵 · 繁難能可貴

Mandarin · pinyin nán néng kě guì

rare and precious
valuable
remarkable

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

難: Look up this written character
能: néng · to be able; can, permitted to; ability
可: kě · may, can, -able; possibly
貴: Look up this written character
难: nán · difficult, arduous, hard; unable
贵: guì · expensive, costly, valuable

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

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

2–2–3–4 · nan2 neng2 ke3 gui4

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

4character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

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

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.

難能可貴 · find source passages ↗ · 难能可贵 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

naan4 nang4 ho2 gwai3

Cantonese word readings for 難能可貴. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

(idiomatic) precious and praiseworthy as such an achievement is difficult to make

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

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