左右为难 (zuǒ yòu wéi) — in a dilemma; faced with a difficult choice; between a rock and a hard place

Definition

A set phrase for being torn between two hard choices — literally 'left and right in difficulty.' Used when both options have real downsides, stronger than a simple 两难.

idiom
in a dilemmafaced with a difficult choicebetween a rock and a hard place

Beispiele

  • 左右为难
    Zhè jiàn shì ràng jīng lǐ zuǒ yòu wéi, shí zài bù zhī dào gāi zěn me chǔ lǐ.
    This matter put the manager in a dilemma — he really didn't know how to handle it.
  • 左右为难
    Tā jì bù xiǎng dé zuì péng you, yòu bù xiǎng sā huǎng, zhēn shì zuǒ yòu wéi.
    She didn't want to offend her friend, nor did she want to lie — it was really a dilemma.
  • 左右为难
    Miàn duì liǎng gè gōng zuò jī huì, tā zuǒ yòu wéi, bù zhī dào xuǎn nǎ ge hǎo.
    Faced with two job offers, he was in a dilemma, not knowing which one to choose.

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