一言难尽 yī yán nán jìn Yi Yan Nan Jin

Explanation

“一言难尽”是一个成语，形容事情曲折复杂，不是一句话能说清楚的，常用于描述不好的事。

“Yi Yan Nan Jin” is a Chinese idiom that is used to describe something that is so complicated and convoluted that it is impossible to explain it in a few words. It is often used to describe bad events.

Origin Story

在古代，有一个名叫张三的人，他是一个非常有才华的商人。他经常往来于各个国家，做生意。有一天，他从遥远的西方国家带回了一件珍贵的宝物。这件宝物非常漂亮，价值连城。张三想要把它卖给当地的一个富商，但是富商却要求他详细地介绍这件宝物的来历。张三便滔滔不绝地向富商讲述了这件宝物从西方国家到中国的曲折经历，以及它在途中的种种遭遇。他讲了很久，富商却始终没有表态。最后，张三无奈地摇了摇头，说：“真是 一言难尽 啊，我实在是难以用言语表达这件宝物的来历。”富商听了，顿时明白了，他对张三说：“看来这件宝物确实来历不凡，我愿意用高价买下它。”

zài gǔ dài, yǒu yī gè míng jiào zhāng sān de rén, tā shì yī gè fēi cháng yǒu cái huá de shāng rén. tā jīng cháng wǎng lái yú gè gè guó jiā, zuò shēng yì. yǒu yī tiān, tā cóng yáo yuǎn de xī fāng guó jiā dài huí le yī jiàn zhēn guì de bǎo wù. zhè jiàn bǎo wù fēi cháng piào liàng, jià zhí lián chéng. zhāng sān xiǎng yào bǎ tā mài gěi dāng dì de yī gè fù shāng, dàn shì fù shāng què yāo qiú tā xiáng xì dì jiè shào zhè jiàn bǎo wù de lái lì. zhāng sān biàn tāo tāo bù jué de xiàng fù shāng jiǎng shù le zhè jiàn bǎo wù cóng xī fāng guó jiā dào zhōng guó de qū zhē jīng lì, yǐ jí tā zài tú zhōng de zhǒng zhǒng zāo yù. tā jiǎng le hěn jiǔ, fù shāng què shǐ zhōng méi yǒu biǎo tài. zuì hòu, zhāng sān wú nài de yáo le yáo tóu, shuō:“zhēn de yī yán nán jìn a, wǒ shí zài nán yǐ yòng yǔ yán biǎo dá zhè jiàn bǎo wù de lái lì.” fù shāng tīng le, dān shì míng bái le, tā duì zhāng sān shuō:“kàn lái zhè jiàn bǎo wù què shí lái lì bù fán, wǒ yuàn yì yòng gāo jià mǎi xià tā.

In ancient times, there was a man named Zhang San who was a very talented businessman. He often traveled between various countries, doing business. One day, he brought back a precious treasure from a distant Western country. This treasure was very beautiful and worth a fortune. Zhang San wanted to sell it to a local wealthy merchant, but the merchant demanded that he describe the origin of the treasure in detail. Zhang San then talked endlessly to the merchant about the treasure's convoluted journey from the Western country to China, and its various encounters along the way. He talked for a long time, but the merchant still did not respond. Finally, Zhang San shook his head helplessly and said, “It's really hard to describe, I really can't express the origin of this treasure in words.” The merchant, upon hearing this, immediately understood. He said to Zhang San, “It seems that this treasure is indeed extraordinary. I am willing to buy it at a high price.”

Usage

“一言难尽”这个成语通常用于描述一些难以用简短语言表达的复杂事件，尤其是那些不好的事情。

yī yán nán jìn zhè gè chéng yǔ tōng cháng yòng yú miáo shù yī xiē nán yǐ yòng jiǎn duǎn yǔ yán biǎo dá de fù zá shì jiàn, tè bié shì nà xiē bù hǎo de shì qíng.

The Chinese idiom “Yi Yan Nan Jin” is often used to describe complex events that are difficult to summarize in a few words, especially those that are negative.

Examples

• 他经历了太多，真是一言难尽。

  tā jīng lì le tài duō, zhēn de yī yán nán jìn.

  He has been through so much, it's hard to put into words.

• 这件事实在一言难尽，我无法用简单的语言描述。

  zhè jiàn shì qíng shí zài yī yán nán jìn, wǒ wú fǎ yòng jiǎn dān de yǔ yán miáo shù

  It's really hard to describe what happened, I can't describe it in simple language.

Related Idioms

• 说来话长

• 道不尽

• 难以言喻

Opposite Idioms

• 一言为定

• 一言九鼎

• 一言千金