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How to express “had a hard time” with 好不容易 (hǎo bù róngyì)

好不容易 (hǎo bù róngyì) / 好容易 (hǎo róngyì) + 才 (cái) + Verb Phrase

Expressing difficulty with "好不容易 (hǎo bù róngyì)" / "好容易 (hǎo róngyì)"

HSK 5Adverbs

Rule structure

好不容易 (hǎo bù róngyì) and 好容易 (hǎo róngyì) both mean "with great difficulty, very hard". Despite the negative form, they have the same meaning. Often paired with 才 (cái) to emphasize that the result was achieved after much effort.

Examples

我好不容易才找到你家。

Wǒ hǎo bù róngyì cái zhǎodào nǐ jiā.

I had a lot of difficulty finding your house.

Practice

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Frequently asked questions

How do you express “Expressing difficulty with "好不容易 (hǎo bù róngyì)" / "好容易 (hǎo róngyì)"” in Chinese?

Use the structure: 好不容易 (hǎo bù róngyì) / 好容易 (hǎo róngyì) + 才 (cái) + Verb Phrase. For example: 我好不容易才找到你家。 — “I had a lot of difficulty finding your house.”.

What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?

我好不容易才找到你家。 — “I had a lot of difficulty finding your house.”.

Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?

This grammar rule is part of HSK 5.

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