骑虎难下 (qí hǔ nán xià) — (idiom) to be in a dilemma with no easy way out; (idiom) riding a tiger — committed to a difficult course and unable to stop
Definition
A chengyu for being trapped in a course of action: you started it and now can't stop without paying a heavy price. Literally 'riding a tiger, hard to get off'.
idiom
to be in a dilemma with no easy way outriding a tiger — committed to a difficult course and unable to stop
Examples
- ，骑虎难下。Zhè ge xiàng mù yǐ jīng tóu rù le dà liàng zī jīn, xiàn zài zhēn shì qí hǔ nán xià.This project has already invested a huge amount of money; now we're really in a dilemma with no way to back down.
- ，骑虎难下，。Tā dāng chū bù gāi dā ying zhè ge tiáo jiàn, rú jīn qí hǔ nán xià, zhǐ néng yìng zhe tóu pí zuò xià qù.He shouldn't have agreed to these terms in the first place; now he's riding a tiger and has to tough it out.
- 骑虎难下，，。Gōng sī xiàn rù qí hǔ nán xià de jú miàn, jì xù kuò zhāng yǒu fēng xiǎn, dàn tíng zhǐ kuī sǔn gèng dà.The company is in a riding-a-tiger situation: expanding carries risks, but stopping would mean even greater losses.
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