聱 (áo) - Difficult to pronounce & awkward-sounding

聱Tone 2

áo ｜ 16 strokes ｜ radical:

安傲

聱 · áo

Difficult to pronounce;

awkward-sounding;

obscure;

abstruse.

Difficult to pronounceawkward-soundingobscure

Usage highlights

Difficult to pronounceObscure and hard to readAwkwardAbstruse writingHard to articulate

Synonyms

  • 拗— awkward; difficult to pronounce
  • 晦涩— obscure; abstruse

Antonyms

  • 流畅— fluent; smooth
  • 通俗— popular; easy to understand

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • This character is difficult to pronounce (聱牙).
  • The text is obscure and hard to read (聱牙诘屈).
  • He writes in an abstruse style (聱牙的文字).

Collocations

  • Difficult to pronounce(聱牙)
  • Obscure and hard to read(聱牙诘屈)
  • Awkward-sounding words(聱牙之词)
  • Abstruse writing(聱牙文字)
  • Hard to articulate(聱牙难读)

Idioms

  • Obscure and hard to pronounce(聱牙诘屈)
  • Awkward and difficult to articulate(诘屈聱牙)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Often used in literary contexts to describe difficult or obscure classical texts.
  • Commonly appears in criticism of overly complex or pedantic writing styles.
  • Frequently paired with 诘屈 to form the idiom describing unreadable prose.

FAQ