谈
tán
To talk, to discuss
谈何 (tán hé) — hardly possible
谈何 (tánhé) + Noun/Adj. (evaluation)
HSK 7–93.0
Pattern diagram
Clause谈何Adjective
Rule structure
谈何 (tánhé) is a fixed literary pattern followed by an evaluative word: 谈何容易 (tánhé róngyì), 谈何公平 (tán hé gōng píng) (tánhé gōngpíng). It is usually rhetorical and often implies a negative: "this is hardly easy / hardly fair". It is less common in casual speech than neutral alternatives like 哪儿谈得上 (nǎ ér tán dé shàng) (nǎr tán de shàng).
Rule structure
谈何 (tánhé) is a fixed literary pattern followed by an evaluative word: 谈何容易 (tánhé róngyì), 谈何公平 (tán hé gōng píng) (tánhé gōngpíng). It is usually rhetorical and often implies a negative: "this is hardly easy / hardly fair". It is less common in casual speech than neutral alternatives like 哪儿谈得上 (nǎ ér tán dé shàng) (nǎr tán de shàng).
Examples
这么难的事，谈何容易？
Zhème nán de shì, tánhé róngyì?
With something this hard, how could it be easy?
Examples
这么难的事，谈何容易？
Zhème nán de shì, tánhé róngyì?
With something this hard, how could it be easy?
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Words from this rule
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “hardly possible” in Chinese with 谈何?
Use the structure: 谈何 (tánhé) + Noun/Adj. (evaluation). For example: 这么难的事，谈何容易？ — “With something this hard, how could it be easy?”.
What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?
这么难的事，谈何容易？ — “With something this hard, how could it be easy?”.
Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?
This grammar rule is part of HSK 3.0 Levels 7–9.
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More HSK 3.0 Levels 7–9 grammar rules
动不动 就 — at the slightest thing, just
Subj. + 动不动 (dòngbudòng) 就 (jiù) + Verb
仅次于 — second only to
Subj. + 仅次于 (jǐn cì yú) + X
个 — casual small action
Verb + 个 (ge) + Noun
除外 — except for, excluding
Noun + 除外 (chúwài)
不亚于 — no worse than
Subject + 不亚于 (bú yà yú) + Noun
可不 — enthusiastic agreement
可不 (kě bu) / 可不是嘛 (kě bú shì ma) — a standalone confirming reply
说到哪儿去了 — polite reply to praise
说到哪儿去了 (shuō dào nǎr qù le) — a standalone polite reply
非 — neither A nor B
非 (fēi) + Noun/Adj. A + 非 (fēi) + Noun/Adj. B