The Chinese word "难闻" is formed through a straightforward compound structure, combining the adjective "难" (nán), meaning "difficult" or "bad/unpleasant," with the verb "闻" (wén), meaning "to smell." Together, they create an adjective meaning "smelling bad" or "unpleasant to smell." It follows a common descriptive pattern in Chinese where "难" + [sensory verb] denotes something negative or difficult to experience via that sense (e.g., 难看 nánkàn, "ugly" or "unpleasant to look at"). Thus, "难闻" literally translates as "difficult/unpleasant to smell," directly conveying its meaning of a foul odor.