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窘境 (jiǒng jìng) — dilemma; predicament

Definition

A formal noun for a difficult, trapped situation with no easy way out — stronger and more written than 困境. The example 陷入进退两难的窘境 shows its typical use with the verb 陷入.

noun
dilemmapredicament

Examples

  • 窘境。
    Tā xiàn rù le jìn tuì liǎng nán de jiǒng jìng.
    He fell into a dilemma where he could neither advance nor retreat.
  • 窘境。
    Jīng jì jiǒng jìng ràng hěn duō xiǎo qǐ yè nán yǐ shēng cún.
    The economic predicament makes it hard for many small businesses to survive.
  • 窘境，。
    Miàn duì tū rú qí lái de jiǒng jìng, tā bù zhī rú hé shì hǎo.
    Facing the sudden predicament, he didn't know what to do.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

窘jiǒngdifficult
境jìngsituation

窘 adds the sense of difficulty, and 境 names a situation.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 窘 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
竟
竟jìng境jìng
Same sound today

境 pairs 土 (earth) with 竟, which gives the sound; the 土 part carries the meaning.

Open 境 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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