孤掌難鳴 gū zhǎng nán míng

It's difficult to achieve anything without support.

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. It's difficult to achieve anything without support.
  2. 2. It takes two to tango
  3. 3. It's hard to clap with only one hand.

Characters

Character Meaning
孤 gū HSK 6
lonely; lone
掌 zhǎng HSK 5
palm of the hand; to hold in one's hand; to slap
難 nán
difficult; difficult (to...); difficulty
鳴 míng
to cry (of birds, animals and insects); to make a sound