难
nán
A hard problem and bad noodles are both 难
The picture Something pushing back from the front, so effort doesn't get you straight through. 难 pushes back and demands effort; 容易 opens like a flat palm.
Where the picture shows up in 难
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a problem pushes back
这个问题很难，我一个人做不了。
zhè ge wèn tí hěn nán, wǒ yí ge rén zuò bu liǎo.
This problem is hard — I can't do it alone.
A page where the working stops at the same line, with nothing but erased marks
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learning pushes back
大家都说中文很难学。
dà jiā dōu shuō zhōng wén hěn nán xué.
Everyone says Chinese is hard to learn.
The same character written ten times in a notebook, then the earlier page opened again
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the body pushes back
医生，我肚子很难受。
yī shēng, wǒ dù zi hěn nán shòu.
Doctor, my stomach feels awful.
A hand pressed to the belly, the body folded forward in the chair
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food pushes back in the mouth
这家的面有点难吃。
zhè jiā de miàn yǒu diǎn nán chī.
The noodles here taste pretty bad.
One mouthful taken, then chopsticks laid back across the bowl
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the outcome pushes back
现在很难说，要等结果。
xiàn zài hěn nán shuō, yào děng jié guǒ.
Hard to say right now — we have to wait for the result.
An envelope still sealed while people stand around it
All of it in one picture
难 is one force pushing back. Let a problem push back and you can't solve it alone; let a language push back and it's hard to learn; let your insides push back and your body is in distress; let food push back in the mouth and it tastes bad; let the outcome push back and it's too early to say.