英國柯林斯出版公司編著《柯林斯COBUILD高階英漢雙解學(xué)習(xí)詞典》(柯克爾等譯)(外語教學(xué)與研究出版社 2011年7月第1版)P716:
1.?Something that is difficult is not easy to do, understand, or deal with. 困難的具被，不容易的
Hobart found it difficult to get her first book published.
We're living in diffucult times... It's very difficult being a woman in motor racing.
筆者注：此時的difficult只能用表示事物（事情）的名詞作主語或修飾表示事物（事情）的名詞宗苍，總之锉矢，不能用像表示人等有靈性的名詞作主語（即無靈主語句）或作定語修飾之菌瘫。上面例句中的diffficult就屬于這一用法锈候。
2.?Someone ?who is difficult behaves in an unreasonable and unhelpful way. 難相處的贫母；難取悅的洞就，不隨和的
I had a feeling you were going to be difficult about this.?
試比較difficult的兩種用法：
用法一：
a.This lessson is difficult to understand.(difficult 用法1)
b.It is difficult to understand this lessson.(difficult 用法1)
用法二：
a.They are diffficult to beat.(difficult 用法2)
b.It is difficult to beat them.(difficult 用法1)(筆者注：根據(jù)陳敦金主編的《英美語慣用法詞典》(增訂版)(福建教育出版社2002年3月第3版)P344-345有關(guān)例句編輯)?
