What's a concise word for "difficult to explain" [closed]

Solution 1:

I think either ‘recondite’ or ‘abstruse’ are very good words for something hard to understand (or which is little know except to the very knowledgeable or learned). So I up-voted both of these.

But I have the impression that Zaya really does mean “hard to explain”. That is why Zaya offers not a definition or explanation of ‘anatman’ (which should, by the way, be placed in italic or single quotation marks) but a parable.

There are some words, especially where they relate to unfamiliar languages and cultures, for which no English word or combination of words will do. So the Norwegian word ‘hygge’ is notoriously hard to define or explain.

I take it that Buddhist ‘anātta’ or ‘anatman’ is the problem. From the explanation I looked up, we are into the difficult realms of the non-existence of the self. It is hard to explain because it is counter-intuitive. This, in turn is because the word ‘existence’ is being used in a rather special sense, which the parable seems to explain rather well (or at least to make sense to this inexpert reader).

So my suggestion, for what it is worth) is to rephrase the sentence.

The concept of anatman is hard (impossible) to explain, so I shall use a parable.

However, I do not think you mean a ‘parable’, which is an explanatory story. I think you mean an ‘analogy’.

Solution 2:

In the given context, I would use elusive:

To illustrate the elusive concept of anatman, the parable of Nagasena and the King likens the mind to a chariot;

elusive

Tending to elude capture, perception, comprehension, or memory: "an invisible cabal of conspirators, each more elusive than the archterrorist [himself]" (David Kline).

Difficult to define or describe: "Failures are more finely etched in our minds than triumphs, and success is an elusive, if not mythic, goal in our demanding society" (Hugh Drummond).

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language

Examples of use from Google Books:

It’s a notoriously puzzling and elusive concept, usually leading to such questions as, "If I don’t have a self, who’s reading this sentence?"

Furthermore, this work depicts not a pastoral scene, but the fierce struggle between man and the elusive concept of Buddha nature.

... the vast body of literature that brought the elusive concept of shunyata (emptiness) to the forefront of Buddhist practice and belief.

The idea of Nirvana is the most important part of the Buddha's doctrine, it is also a most elusive concept.

Solution 3:

I found a perfect word after putting 'mysterious' into a thesaurus

Abstruse Difficult to comprehend

Solution 4:

How about Recondite? It's usually used in the context of something that is difficult for people without good knowledge in the subject to understand.

Solution 5:

The image of the chariot as a "mechanism" (i.e. both the sum of its pieces and something more), suggests the word intricate:

To illustrate the intricate concept of anatman, the parable of Nagasena and the King likens the mind to a chariot; a chariot is not a pole, nor a wheel, it is the sum total of its parts.

Intricate American Heritage

adj

Having many complexly arranged elements; elaborate: an intricate pattern; an intricate procedure.

Difficult to understand, analyze, or solve for having many interconnected elements.