積重難返 jī zhòng nán fǎn

DEFINITIONS

  1. ingrained habits are hard to overcome (idiom); bad old practices die hard

CHARACTERS

積 jī accumulate, store up, amass
重 zhòng
HSK 3
heavy, weighty; double
難 nán difficult, arduous, hard; unable
返 fǎn
HSK 5
return, revert to, restore