thorny; hot potato; difficult to handle
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesadjective
too hot to handle; thorny; sticky; difficult to deal with
Originally describes something literally too hot to touch; metaphorically describes a problematic situation that is risky, sensitive, or troublesome to handle. Often used in the phrase '烫手山芋' (hot potato).
Tā他
gǎn感
dào到
zhè这
gè个
wèn问
tí题
yǒu有
xiē些
tàng烫
shǒu手
。
He felt that this problem was somewhat thorny to handle.
Zhè这
shì是
yī一
gè个
tàng烫
shǒu手
de的
shān山
yù芋
，
méi没
rén人
yuàn愿
yì意
jiē接
。
This is a hot potato; nobody wants to take it.
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Zhè这
bǐ笔
mǎi买
mai卖
tīng听
qǐ起
lai来
hěn很
zhuàn赚
qián钱
，
qí其
shí实
tǐng挺
tàng烫
shǒu手
de的
。
This deal sounds profitable, but it's actually quite troublesome to handle.