左右为难

左右為難
zuǒyòuwéinán
idiom #20,419

Meanings

  1. 1 in a dilemma
  2. 2 torn between two choices
  3. 3 damned if you do, damned if you don't

Examples

Tā jiā zài liǎng gè péngyǒu zhījiān, zhēnshi zuǒyòuwéinán.
Caught between two friends, he was truly in a dilemma.
Zhè dào xuǎnzé tí ràng wǒ zuǒyòuwéinán, bù zhīdào gāi xuǎn nǎge.
This multiple-choice question left me torn — I had no idea which to pick.

Tips

memory
Literally 'left and right both difficult': whichever way you turn — left () or right () — you face hardship (). Picture someone stuck at a crossroads, unable to move in either direction.

Stroke Order

zuǒ
yòu
wèi
nán