awkward; unnatural; blunt; stiff
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesadjective
awkward; unnatural; stiff; not skilled
neutralDescribes speech, writing, or behavior that lacks fluency or seems forced.
Tā他
gāng刚
xué学
Zhōng中
wén文
，
jù句
zi子
shuō说
dé得
yǒu有
diǎn点
shēng生
yìng硬
。
He just started learning Chinese, so his sentences sound a bit awkward.
Zhè这
piān篇
wén文
zhāng章
de的
fān翻
yì译
hěn很
shēng生
yìng硬
，
dú读
qǐ起
lái来
bù不
tōng通
shùn顺
。
The translation of this article is very stiff and doesn't read smoothly.
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Tā他
tiào跳
wǔ舞
de的
dòng动
zuò作
xiǎn显
dé得
hěn很
shēng生
yìng硬
，
xū需
yào要
duō多
liàn练
xí习
。
His dance moves look very unskilled and need more practice.
adjective
harsh; blunt; rigid; not gentle
neutralDescribes an attitude, tone, or style that is inflexible, lacking tact or refinement.
Tā他
duì对
xià下
shǔ属
de的
tài态
dù度
fēi非
cháng常
shēng生
yìng硬
，
ràng让
rén人
hěn很
nán难
jiē接
jìn近
。
His attitude towards his subordinates is very harsh, making it hard for people to approach him.
Tā她
de的
zuò作
fēng风
shēng生
yìng硬
，
chǔ处
lǐ理
wèn问
tí题
quē缺
fá乏
líng灵
huó活
xìng性
。
Her working style is rigid, lacking flexibility when dealing with problems.
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Zhè这
yàng样
de的
jù拒
jué绝
fāng方
shì式
tài太
shēng生
yìng硬
le了
，
róng容
yì易
shāng伤
hài害
gǎn感
qíng情
。
This way of refusal is too blunt and can easily hurt feelings.