jat1 jin4 naan4 zeon6一言難盡一言难尽

Jyutpingjat1 jin4 naan4 zeon6

Yaleyāt yìhn nàahn jeuhn

語句

Definition

It's a long story; difficult to express a complex situation in a few words.

colloquialcommunication

How it's used

This idiom is used when you want to signal that a situation is too messy or complicated to summarize quickly. It serves as a polite way to decline giving a full explanation without appearing dismissive. It is often followed by a suggestion to discuss the details at a more convenient time.

Examples

man6問hei2起ngo5我dim2點gaai2解ci4辭zik1職，zan1真hai6係jat1一jin4言naan4難zeon6盡aa4呀。

If you ask me why I resigned, it's a long story.

le1呢gin2件si6事jat1一jin4言naan4難zeon6盡，haa6下ci3次gin3見min6面zoi3再maan6慢maan2慢gong2講laa1啦。

This matter is hard to explain in a few words, let's talk about it next time we meet.

Common phrases

zan1真hai6係jat1一jin4言naan4難zeon6盡

it really is a long story

Common mistake

Learners sometimes mistakenly use this to describe a difficult task or a hard problem, but it specifically refers to the difficulty of verbalizing a complex situation, not the difficulty of the situation itself.