他们没有想像的那么容易 -They didn’t expect it to be that difficult?

[Scoobyqueen]

I am trying to get my head around the meaning of this sentence:

他们没有想像的那么容易

Edited April 15, 2013 at 09:24 PM by Scoobyqueen

[leeyah]

It would be nice if you could provide the context.

Without the context, I'd say it means the same as 他们没想到的那么简单 easy/simple, but it could also be translated as not that difficult/complicated.

Anyway, I guess this is the common way to express not difficult in Chinese, since there's 难办 for difficult, only I've never heard it used as>> 没想到xx那么难办, but I wouldn't know for sure, really

[Scoobyqueen]

AS ABOVE

[imron]

not as easy as they thought. Also, I think the 他们 really belongs after the 没有 if you were going to shorten it.

[leeyah]

多数外方管理人员认为管理中国人没有想像的那么容易

This is a tricky sentence Scoobyqueen! What with 管理人员's many English variants in different contexts & the precise translation of 外方, but, anyway, here's my interpretation:

many foreign legislators/administrators think that governing Chinese people is not as easy as it may seem (eg. in theory vs.in reality)

想象 as imagine, visualize, plan, envisage etc etc

外方 should refer to foreign leg./admin. from abroad, not the 外部 guys

[Erbse]

多数外方管理人员认为管理中国人没有想像的那么容易

A lot of foreign Managers think, that managing Chinese people is not as easy as it has been thought before.

[leeyah]

Originally Posted by Erbse:

没有想像的那么容易

is not as easy as it has been thought before

No. That would be 没想到那么容易

没有想像的那么容易 is equal to:

没有想象的容易

没有想象中容易

vs:

is easier than it may seem

比想象的容易

比想象中容易

PS: If the context is political and not business-administrative, is it possible to say "manage" people, as in nation>>中国人?

[skylee]

没有想像的那么容易 is equal to:

比想象得容易

比想象中容易

I don't think so.

[leeyah]

没有想像的那么容易 is equal to:

比想象得容易

比想象中容易

I don't think so.

Feel free to contribute your solution skylee, so I can take a break

Thank you!

[skylee]

Sure leeyah you can take a break. Just take a look at Erbse's post.