▎好不容易, hǎobù róngyì , (idiom), only after a tremendous amount of...

 

Function The idiomatic phrase 好不容易 indicates the hard-won realization of a favorable situation. It means roughly ‘only after much persuasion, much trying, much effort...’.

1 爸爸好不容易才答應讓我去美國念書。我一定要更用功。

Bàba hǎobù róngyì cái dāyìng ràng wǒ qù Měiguó niànshū. Wǒ yídìng yào gèng yònggōng.

After a great deal of effort (on somebody’s part), Dad finally agreed to let me study in the US, so I’m going to make a point of working even harder.

2 你好不容易拿到獎學金，怎麼就要回國了？

Nǐ hǎobù róngyì nádào jiǎngxuéjīn, zěnme jiù yào huíguó le?

You finally managed to get a scholarship. How come you’re going back home?

3 下了兩星期的雨，今天好不容易才停。

Xiàle liǎng xīngqí de yǔ, jīntiān hǎobù róngyì cái tíng.

After two weeks of rain, it finally managed to stop today.

4 好不容易看到一雙喜歡的鞋子，沒想到這麼貴。

Hǎobù róngyì kàndào yì shuāng xǐhuān de xiézi, méi xiǎngdào zhème guì.

I finally managed to find a pair of shoes that I like. I had no idea it’d be so expensive.

5 他做了一大碗豬腳麵線，我好不容易才吃完。

Tā zuòle yí dà wǎn zhūjiǎo miànxiàn, wǒ hǎobù róngyì cái chī wán.

He made a huge bowl of pork knuckle rice threads that I barely managed to finish.