HSK 6 · VERSION 2.0#18
Expressing “Hardly” with “hǎobù róngyì”
好不容易
How it works
好不容易 (hǎobù róngyì) means “with great difficulty,” “only after much effort,” or “finally after a lot of trouble.” It emphasizes that something was achieved with difficulty, effort, or after a long wait.
Example sentences
我们好不容易才把双方的意见协调到一起，结果临时又出了新的问题。
We only managed with great difficulty to coordinate both sides’ opinions, and then unexpectedly a new problem arose at the last minute.
他好不容易说服了家里人支持自己的决定，自然不愿意轻易放弃。
He only with great difficulty persuaded his family to support his decision, so naturally he is unwilling to give up easily.
这场雨下了这么久，今天太阳总算好不容易露出来了一会儿。
It has rained for so long that today the sun finally came out for a short while with difficulty.
Key point
This pattern strongly emphasizes effort, difficulty, or long waiting before success or occurrence.