Definition
勉为其难 is a four-character idiom meaning to reluctantly force oneself to do a difficult task because there is no better choice or out of a sense of duty. It conveys that the person is doing something beyond their comfort zone or usual ability, often for the sake of others or to fulfill an obligation. It is commonly used as a predicate or adverbial phrase in both spoken and written Chinese.
f.e.
to force oneself to do a difficult taskto reluctantly undertake something hard
Examples
- ，勉为其难。Suīrán zhège xiàngmù hěn nán, dàn tā háishì miǎn wéi de jiēshòu le.Even though this project is very difficult, he still reluctantly took it on.
- ，勉为其难。Tā bú tài xǐhuān zuòfàn, dàn wèile kèren háishì miǎn wéi xiàchú le.She doesn't really like cooking, but for the guests she forced herself to go into the kitchen.
- ，勉为其难。Lǎoshī ràng wǒ zuò bānzhǎng, wǒ zhǐhǎo miǎn wéi dāng zhège zhíwèi.The teacher asked me to be class monitor, so I had to reluctantly take the position.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.