loi4 zi1 bat1 ji6來之不易来之不易
Jyutpingloi4 zi1 bat1 ji6
Yalelòih jī bāt yih
Definition
Hard-won; difficult to come by or achieve.
writtendescriptions
How it's used
Often used to describe achievements, opportunities, or peace that required significant effort or sacrifice to attain. It carries a formal or literary weight, so it is more common in speeches, writing, or serious advice rather than casual small talk. While the headword is written as 來之不易, speakers frequently swap the first character for 得 to form 得來不易, which feels slightly more natural in modern spoken contexts.
Related words
Common phrases
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a simple adjective like difficult, but it specifically implies that the value of the object is derived from the struggle required to obtain it. It is not used for simple tasks like finding a lost key or solving a basic math problem.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
