Expressing difficulty with "hao (bu) rongyi"

好不容易 (hǎo bù róngyì) means "very difficult" or "really not easy." It is often used where the speaker wants to comment on the result of their hard work, something like "It was really hard for me to x, but then I realized y."

Adverbial Structure with 才

Structure

Sentences using 好不容易 are often followed by 才 (cái), emphasizing the action has been completed only with great difficulty. Strange as it might seem, 好容易 has the same meaning as 好不容易, and can be used interchangeably.

Subj. + 好容易 / 好不容易 + 才 + Verb，[Result Sentence]

Examples

• 我们 好不容易 才 做完 这 个 项目，结果 合同 取消 了。Wǒmen hǎobù róngyì cái zuò wán zhège xiàngmù, jiéguǒ hétóng qǔxiāo le.It was with great difficulty that we finally finished this project. But then the contract was canceled.
• 我 好不容易 才 到 市中心， 却 发现 没 带 手机，只好 回去 拿。Wǒ hǎobù róngyì cái dào shì zhōngxīn, què fāxiàn mò dài shǒujī, zhǐhǎo huíqù ná.It was a lot of trouble to get to the city center, but then I realized I had forgotten my cell phone and had to go back and get it.
• 金融 危机 之后 他 好不容易 才 找到 工作，现在 又 辞职 了 。Jīnróng wéijī zhīhòu tā hǎobù róngyì cái zhǎodào gōngzuò, xiànzài yòu cízhíle.After the financial crisis, he had a hard time finally finding a job. And now he's resigning.
• 我 好不容易 才 打通 了 银行 的 服务 热线 。Wǒ hǎobù róngyì cái dǎtōngle yínháng de fúwù rèxiàn.It was no easy task to get through to the bank's customer service hotline.
• 他们 好不容易 才 爬 到 了 山顶，结果 下起 了 大雨 。Tāmen hǎobù róngyì cái pá dào le shāndǐng, jiéguǒ xià qǐle dàyǔ.With great difficulty, they finally climbed to the top of the mountain. And then it started raining heavily.
• 老师 好容易 才 让学生订正，结果 来不及复习。Lǎoshī hǎo róngyì cái ràng xuéshēng dìngzhèng, jiéguǒ láibují fùxí.The teacher had a difficult time making the students correct their work. And then there was not enough time for review.
• 她 好容易 才 减肥，结果 快再变胖。Tā hǎo róngyì cái jiǎnféi, jiéguǒ kuài zài biàn pàng.She had a hard time losing weight. And then she quickly gained it all back.

Adjectival Structure (without 才)

Structure

Verb / [Verb Phrase] + 好容易 / 好不容易

In this structure one can only use “好(不)容易” to express “with great difficulty”. At the end of the sentence particles such as “啊” or “哦” will also often be used to emphasize emotion.

Examples

• 要 完成 这 个 大 项目 好不容易 啊。Yào wánchéng zhège dà xiàngmù hǎobù róngyì a.Finishing this big project will not be an easy task.
• 养 大 一 个 孩子 好不容易。Yǎng dà yīgè háizi hǎobù róngyì.Raising a child is not an easy thing to do.
• 创办 一 个 公司 好不容易 啊。Chuàngbàn yīgè gōngsī hǎobù róngyì a.Starting a company isn't easy.

See also

• Easy to do something
• Difficult to do something

Sources and further reading

Books

• Boya Chinese Lower Intermediate 2 (博雅汉语准中级加速篇) (pp. 100，110-11) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 (pp. 77-8) 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 →buy

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