- 老大难 lǎodànán long-standing and difficult(of a problem or task) serious, complex, and difficult to resolve for a long period of time
- 大难临头 dànànlíntou to face imminent disasterTo be faced with an imminent catastrophe; disaster is looming or about to strike
- 大难不死 dànànbùsǐ to survive a great disasterTo escape from a great catastrophe or nearly fatal hardship with one's life
- 大难不死，必有后福 dànànbùsǐbìyǒuhòufú surviving a disaster brings good fortunea proverb meaning one is bound for good fortune after surviving a great disaster
- 才大难用 cáidànányòng great talent is hard to employDescribes a person who is highly capable but remains unrecognized or does not find a position where their skills can be fully used.
- 材大难用 cáidànányòng useless due to sizeLiterally referring to a tree with a trunk so swollen or branches so gnarled that it does not fit standard tools (from [[庄子|莊子|zhuang1 zi3]])
