盘根错节 pán gēn cuò jié

DEFINITIONS

  1. twisted roots and intertwined joints (idiom); complicated and very tricky
  2. knotty and deeply-rooted difficulties

CHARACTERS

盘 pán
HSK 3
tray, plate, dish; examine
根 gēn
HSK 3
root, base(d on); foundation
错 cuò
HSK 2
error, blunder, mistake; wrong
节 jié
HSK 3
knot, node, joint; section