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进退两难 (jìn tuì liǎng nán) — (idiom) in a dilemma; between a rock and a hard place

Definition

Idiom meaning both 'advancing' and 'retreating' are equally difficult — a situation where neither option works.

idiom
in a dilemmabetween a rock and a hard place

Examples

  • 进退两难，。
    Tā xiàn zài jìn tuì liǎng nán, bù zhī dào gāi zěn me xuǎn.
    He is in a dilemma now and doesn't know which to choose.
  • 进退两难，。
    Zhè ge jué dìng ràng wǒ jìn tuì liǎng nán, liǎng biān dōu yǒu hǎo chù yě yǒu huài chù.
    This decision puts me in a dilemma — both sides have pros and cons.
  • ，进退两难。
    Miàn duì gōng zuò yǔ jiā tíng de xuǎn zé, tā jìn tuì liǎng nán.
    Faced with the choice between work and family, he is in a dilemma.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

进退advance and retreat
进jìnadvance退tuìretreat
联合Coordinate
两难both difficult
两liǎngboth难nándifficult
偏正Modifier + head

进 (advance) and 退 (retreat) are 两 (both) 难 (difficult), so the meaning is a dilemma.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 進; 进 is its simplified writing.

  • 辵辵chuòwalk
  • 隹隹zhuīshort-tail bird

The traditional form 進 pairs 辵 (walk) with 隹 (short-tail bird): the picture showed moving forward because a bird can only walk forward, not backward. The simplified 进 is a later shorthand.

Open 进 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 皀皀jífood vessel
  • 夊夊suīdownward foot

退 originally showed 皀, a food vessel, with 夊, a downward foot, for leaving the table after eating. In modern 退, the vessel part 皀 changed into an unrelated shape.

Open 退 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 兩; 两 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 兩 is described as combining 一 and 㒳. The simplified 两 is a later abbreviation.

Open 两 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 難; 难 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
隹隹zhuībird
Sound part声符shēngfú
暵
暵hàn難nán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional 難 pairs 隹, a bird, with 暵 for sound, and meant a type of bird. It was later borrowed for other meanings; the modern 难 is a shorthand.

Open 难 →
Appears in
Abstract ConceptsIdioms & Set Phrases

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