难关
nán guān · HSK 7
difficulty
⛰️🚧 难 difficult + 关 pass/barrier = a hard mountain pass you must cross
难 means difficult and 关 is a gate or mountain pass, the kind guarded at a border. Together 难关 is a tough barrier blocking the road, used for any crisis or hurdle you must push through.
难 — 又 (right hand) + 隹 (short-tailed bird)
Originally written with 堇 (clay) plus 隹 (bird), 難 depicted a rare bird and was borrowed to mean 'difficult.' The modern simplified form replaces the left side with 又 (hand). The phonetic role of the original left component gave the reading nán.
关 — door 门 + simplified 关 inside
关 is the simplified form of 關. The traditional character showed a gate (門) with a bolt or crossbar inside, depicting a barred door — hence 'to close' or 'shut'. Meaning later extended to 'pass' (a guarded gate), 'barrier', and figuratively 'concern' or 'connection'.