难听 nántīng unpleasant to hear
unpleasant to hear; coarse; vulgar; offensive; shameful
How to remember 难听: 难 difficult + 听 listen = unpleasant to hear.
Characters
How it is used
- Two senses: unpleasant to the ear, and offensive/coarse in speech - 这首歌很难听 (zhè shǒu gē hěn nántīng) this song sounds awful; 话说得太难听 (huà shuō de tài nántīng) put too harshly.
- Here 难 means 'hard to bear,' not 'difficult' - pattern 难 + sense verb. Opposite is 好听 (hǎotīng), 这首歌很好听 (zhè shǒu gē hěn hǎotīng) this song sounds nice.
- The 'coarse/hurtful words' sense is very common in arguments.
Example sentences
- 这首歌真难听。 Zhè shǒu gē zhēn nántīng.This song sounds awful.