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.

Origin

Characters in this word

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 騎; 骑 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
馬馬mǎhorse
Sound part声符shēngfú
奇
奇qí騎qí
Same sound today

The traditional form 騎 combines 馬, meaning horse, with 奇, which supplies the sound, for riding a horse; the simplified 骑 is a later shorthand.

Open 骑 →

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

虎 originally drew a tiger's head. Its body disappeared, and the legs and tail became the lower part.

Open 虎 →

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 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

下 is drawn as a short horizontal line below a long curved line.

Open 下 →

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