釘子戶

Alluding to the fact that a nail stuck in a piece of wood is extremely difficult to either extract or be pounded all the way in.

釘子戶

1. nail house
   • 2014 April 17, Austin Ramzy, “官員贊強拆人員是當代「最可愛的人」 [Official Praises Eviction Workers as ‘Most Lovable’]”, in 許欣, 張薇, transl., The New York Times‎^[1]:

     於去年12月貼在政府網站上的文章表示，該區的200多戶拆遷戶中，有48戶是「水潑不進、針扎不進」的釘子戶。 [MSC, trad.]
     于去年12月贴在政府网站上的文章表示，该区的200多户拆迁户中，有48户是「水泼不进、针扎不进」的钉子户。 [MSC, simp.]

     Yú qùnián 12yuè tiē zài zhèngfǔ wǎngzhàn shàng de wénzhāng biǎoshì, gāi qū de 200 duō hù chāiqiān hù zhōng, yǒu 48 hù shì “shuǐ pō bù jìn, zhēn zhā bù jìn” de dìngzǐhù. [Pinyin]

     The December posting on the government website said that 48 of the more than 200 residences in the area to be cleared had been the “most difficult of the difficulties.”

2. (figurative) a person or thing that has not changed
   • 2024 June 6, “中國“高考釘子戶”梁實：今年應該是最後一次”, in Lianhe Zaobao‎^[2]:

     有“高考釘子戶”之稱的中國富翁梁實今年將參加人生第28次高考，並稱這將是他的最後一次嘗試。 [MSC, trad.]
     有“高考钉子户”之称的中国富翁梁实今年将参加人生第28次高考，并称这将是他的最后一次尝试。 [MSC, simp.]

     Yǒu “gāokǎo dìngzǐhù” zhī chēng de Zhōngguó fùwēng Liáng Shí jīnnián jiāng cānjiā rénshēng dì 28 cì gāokǎo, bìng chēng zhè jiāng shì tā de zuìhòu yīcì chángshì. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

• → English: nail house (calque)