In Chinese, 好不容易 (hǎo bù róng yì) literally means “not easy at all,” but it’s used to express that something was achieved only after great effort or difficulty. It emphasizes how much time, energy, or patience was required to complete an action and often carries a tone of relief, satisfaction, or frustration.
It can be translated as:
“It wasn’t easy to…,” “I finally managed to…,” or “After much difficulty…”
Structure with 才
When followed by 才 (cái), it emphasizes that the result only happened after great difficulty.
Structure:
Subject + 好(不)容易 + 才 + [Result]
Examples:
我好不容易才找到工作。
→ It really wasn’t easy for me to find a job.
Here, 才 strengthens the feeling that the action was barely accomplished after a long struggle.
Structure without 才
Sometimes 好(不)容易 appears alone to express difficulty, often at the end of a sentence or clause, with emotional particles like 啊 or 哦.
Structure:
Verb / Verb Phrase + 好(不)容易
Examples:
走到山顶好不容易啊！
→ It was really hard to climb to the top!
好容易 vs. 好不容易
Both mean “with great difficulty,” but:
好不容易 → more emotional or dramatic (used more often)
好容易 → softer and less intense
Think of 好不容易 as showing both difficulty and accomplishment — not only was it hard, but you finally did it.
Sample Sentences
我好不容易才起得来，结果闹钟又响错了。It wasn’t easy for me to get up, but then the alarm went off again by mistake.
他好不容易才考上大学，全家人都替他高兴。He finally got into college after much effort, and his whole family was happy for him.
我们好容易才等到这一天，一定要好好庆祝！We’ve been waiting for this day for so long — we have to celebrate properly!
In a Text
昨天我好不容易才从公司下班回家。外面下着大雨，路上全是车，我在公交车上挤了一个多小时。到家的时候，鞋子都湿了，整个人又累又饿。
我打开冰箱，好不容易才找到一点吃的，煮了碗泡面，香气扑鼻，感觉整天的辛苦都值得了。吃完后，我洗了个热水澡，终于能放松一下。想到明天还要早起上班，我叹了口气，不过也觉得自己挺能坚持的。毕竟，生活好不容易啊！
香气扑鼻 (xiāng qì pū bí): a delicious smell hits the nose
Yesterday, I finally managed to get off work and head home. It was pouring rain outside, and the roads were packed with cars. I was squeezed on the bus for more than an hour. By the time I got home, my shoes were soaked, and I was both tired and hungry.
I opened the fridge and barely found something to eat. I made a bowl of instant noodles, and the delicious smell made me feel that all the day’s hardships were worth it. After eating, I took a hot shower and finally relaxed. Thinking that I had to get up early for work again tomorrow, I sighed — but I also felt proud of myself. After all, life isn’t easy.
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