"Tough" • Chinese-English Dictionary

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 lì hai (used to describe sb or sth that makes a very strong impression, whether favorable or unfavorable) terrible / intense / severe / devastating / amazing / awesome / outstanding / (of a person) stern / strict / harsh / shrewd / tough / (of an animal) fierce / (of a resemblance) striking / (of liquor or chili pepper) strong / (of bacteria) virulent
 xīn kǔ exhausting / hard / tough / arduous / to work hard / to go to a lot of trouble / hardship(s)
 lì hai terrible / formidable / serious / devastating / tough / capable / sharp / severe / fierce
 lǎo prefix used before the surname of a person or a numeral indicating the order of birth of the children in a family or to indicate affection or familiarity / old (of people) / venerable (person) / experienced / of long standing / always / all the time / of the past / very / outdated / (of meat etc) tough
 qiáng hàn tough / strong / formidable / fearsome
 qiáng yìng tough / unyielding / hard-line
 rèn annealed / pliable but strong / tough / tenacious
 jué crabby / tough
 hān silly / simple-minded / foolish / naive / sturdy / tough / heavy (of rope)
 gěn blunt / tough / chewy
 pí shi (of things) durable / (of people) sturdy / tough
 jiān rèn tough and durable / tenacious
 niú pí cowhide / leather / fig. flexible and tough / boasting / big talk
 nán wei to bother / to press sb, usu. to do sth / it's a tough job / sorry to bother you (polite, used to thank sb for a favor)
 xiōng hàn violent / fierce and tough / shrewish (woman)
 yìng hàn man of steel / unyielding, tough guy
 róu rèn pliable and tough / supple and strong / flexible
 biāo hàn tough as nails / formidable / kick-ass / plucky
 qiáng rèn resilient / tough and strong
 nì shuǐ xíng zhōu lit. navigating a boat against the current (idiom) / fig. in a tough environment (one needs to work hard)
 lì cuò to win as a result of tenacious effort / to fight off tough competition
 jìng cǎo tough upright grass / fig. a staunch character able to withstand tough test
 juàn thin, tough silk fabric
 juè crabby / tough
 hǔ bèi xióng yāo back of a tiger and waist of a bear / tough and stocky build
 chū nán tí to raise a tough question
 lái yìng de to get tough / to use force
 qiáng yìng lì chǎng tough position
 huàn nàn jiàn zhēn qíng true sentiments are seen in hard times (idiom) / you see who your true friends are when you go through tough times together / you see who your true friends are when you are in difficulties
 zuì niú tough as nails
 xióng yāo hǔ bèi waist of a bear and back of a tiger / tough and stocky build
 mìng tú kǎn kě to have a tough life / to meet much adversity in one's life
 tài mèi girl delinquent / tomboy / schoolgirl tough
 wài gāng nèi róu soft on the inside despite one's hard shell / appearing tough on the outside as to mask one's inner vulnerability / also written 內柔外剛|内柔外刚[nei4 rou2 wai4 gang1]
饿 lǎo tiān yé è bù sǐ xiā jiā què lit. heaven won't let the sparrows go hungry (idiom) / fig. don't give up hope / if you tough it out, there will be light at the end of the tunnel
 yìng gǔ tou resolute individual / a hard nut to crack / tough mission / difficult task
 yǒu běn shi to have what it takes / (coll.) (often followed by 就[jiu4]) (used to challenge sb) if you're so clever, ..., if she's so tough, ... etc / Example: 有本事就打我[you3 ben3 shi5 jiu4 da3 wo3] Hit me if you dare!
 yù qiáng zé qiáng tough adversaries make you stronger
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