荆棘 | jīng jí | thistles and thorns / brambles / thorny undergrowth |
棘手 | jí shǒu | thorny (problem) / intractable |
带刺 | dài cì | thorny / (fig.) barbed; sarcastic |
柘 | zhè | a thorny tree / sugarcane / Cudrania triloba / three-bristle cudrania (Cudrania tricuspidata) / Chinese mulberry (Cudrania) |
棫 | yù | (oak) / thorny shrub |
荆山 | Jīng shān | Thorny mountain (several) / Mt Jingshan in Hubei |
绕手 | rào shǒu | thorny issue / tricky case |
攻坚克难 | gōng jiān kè nán | to tackle a thorny problem and overcome its challenges |
棘楚 | jí chǔ | thorny problem / troublesome affair |
死结难解 | sǐ jié nán jiě | enigmatic knot hard to untie (idiom); thorny problem / intractable difficulty |