进退维谷 (jìn tuì wéi gǔ) — caught in a dilemma; between a rock and a hard place

Definition

Literary idiom meaning 'in a dilemma', implying both advancing and retreating lead to trouble. Far more formal than the everyday 两难, and stronger than 左右为难 ('hard to choose').

idiom
caught in a dilemmabetween a rock and a hard place

Examples

  • ，进退维谷，。
    Gōng sī cái yuán shí, tā jìn tuì wéi gǔ, jì bù xiǎng cí zhí yòu wú fǎ jiē shòu xīn ān pái.
    When the company laid off staff, he was caught in a dilemma: he didn't want to resign, but he couldn't accept the new arrangement either.
  • ，进退维谷，。
    Miàn duì zhè xiàng fēng xiǎn jí dà de tóu zī, tóu zī zhě jìn tuì wéi gǔ, bù zhī rú hé jué cè.
    Faced with this extremely risky investment, the investor felt caught in a dilemma and didn't know how to decide.
  • ，进退维谷，。
    Xiàng mù zhōng tú zī jīn duǎn quē, tuán duì jìn tuì wéi gǔ, jìn dù bèi pò zàn tíng.
    Midway through the project, funds ran short; the team found itself in a dilemma and work was forced to stop.

Origin

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 →

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 維; 维 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìthread
Sound part声符shēngfú
唯
唯wéi維wéi
Same sound today

In the traditional form 維, 糸 marks a thread meaning and 唯 provides the sound; the simplified 维 is a later shortened shape.

Open 维 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 谷 comes from a picture of a valley: an opening between two near-parallel lines for mountain walls.

Open 谷 →

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