Takeaway Chinese: It's hard to explain 一言难尽

一言难尽 yī yán nán jìn

Chinese 101: How to say "It's hard to explain!"
Grammar: Chinese numbers in idioms
Language Tips: How to avoid answering nosy questions in Chinese

Dialogue:

A：你现在做什么工作？
Nǐ xiàn zài zuò shén me gōng zuò ？
What do you do now?

B：这个嘛，不是三言两语就能说清楚的。
Zhè gè ma, bù shì sān yán liǎng yǔ néng shuō qīng chǔ de.
Well... It's not easy to explain this clearly in just a few words.

A：你有对象了吗？
Nǐ yǒu duì xiàng le ma？
Are you dating someone?

B：一言难尽！
Yī yán nán jìn ！
It's hard to explain in a few words!

Words & expressions:

【现在】xiàn zài: now
【工作】gōng zuò：job, work
【三言两语】sān yán liǎng yǔ：in a few words
【清楚】qīng chu: clear
【对象】duì xiàng: object ; partner; girlfriend or boyfriend
【一言难尽】yī yán nán jìn: hard to explain in a few words

Source: goeastmandarin.com
Editor: wanwan