难以置信
nányǐzhìxìn
In Chinese, "incredible" is translated as 难以置信 (nányǐzhìxìn).
难以置信 means amazing or unbelievable. While it can be used to mean amazing in a positive sense, it is more frequently used to express disbelief or that something is hard to believe, often in a skeptical or shocked tone.
Meaning: amazing (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 难 (hard/difficult), 以 (to use/by means of), 置 (to place/set) and 信 (belief/trust), literally meaning "hard to place/set belief".
Which one should you use?
There are several ways to express this depending on the context. 不可思议 is a formal way to say incredible or unimaginable. 令人难以置信 is used for "incredible" in formal contexts. For more casual settings, 太牛了 can mean incredible or amazing and the colloquial phrase 酷毙了 means incredible or awesome.
How does it change in a sentence?
To use 难以置信 as an attributive adjective before a noun, you must add the particle 的 to form 难以置信的.
How do you pronounce it?
nányǐzhìxìn
Did you know?
- The colloquial term for 'incredible', 太牛了, literally translates to 'too cow' or 'too much cow'. It is used to praise someone's extraordinary ability or status.
- The formal alternative 不可思议 was originally a translation of a Sanskrit Buddhist term used to describe things that cannot be conceived by the human mind.
- The character 信 in 难以置信 originally depicted a person standing by a speaking hand, symbolizing the 'trustworthiness' of a message.
Examples in context
- 你母亲说六种语言真是让人难以置信！It's incredible that your mother speaks six languages!This sentence is useful for seeing how to use 难以置信 to express amazement at someone's ability.Tatoeba #461664 by fucongcong, translation #1481101 by weihaiping
- 那个杂技表演太不可思议了！The acrobatic performance was incredible!
- 山顶的景色真是太神奇了。The view from the mountaintop is truly incredible.
- 这个结果真是难以置信。Zhège jiéguǒ zhēnshi nányǐ zhìxìn.This result is truly incredible.
- 他的进步快得让人难以置信。Tā de jìnbù kuài de ràng rén nányǐ zhìxìn.His progress is incredibly fast.
Example conversation
Zhiqiang and Zihan are looking at a magic trick video.
- 志强 Zhiqiang梓涵，你看这个魔术，太难以置信了！Zǐhán, nǐ kàn zhège móshù, tài nányǐ zhìxìn le!Zihan, look at this magic trick, it's incredible!
- 梓涵 Zihan真的吗？我觉得那是剪辑出来的。Zhēnde ma? Wǒ juéde nà shì jiǎnjí chūlái de.Really? I think it was edited.
- 志强 Zhiqiang不是的，这是现场直播。Búshì de, zhè shì xiànchǎng zhíbō.No, this is a live broadcast.
- 梓涵 Zihan如果是直播，那确实难以置信。Rúguǒ shì zhíbō, nà quèshí nányǐ zhìxìn.If it's live, then it really is incredible.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
