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 do to do x, but then I realized y".

Structure 1

Sentences using 好不容易 are often followed by 才, emphasizing the action has been completed later than expected. Strange as it might seem, 好容易 has the same meaning as 好不容易, and can be used interchangeably.

Subject + 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。
• 我 好不容易 才 到 市 中心， 却 发现 没 带 手机，只好 回去 拿。
• 金融 危机 之后 他 好不容易 才 找到 工作，现在 又 辞职 了。
• 我 好不容易 才 打通 了 银行 的 服务 热线。

Structure 2

Verb/[verb object] + 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。
• 养 大 一 个 孩子 好不容易。
• 创办 一 个 公司 好不容易 啊。

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)→buy

HSK5