泥沼

nísháo
noun #22,689

Measure Word

泥沼 piàn

Meanings

  1. 1 swamp
  2. 2 quagmire
  3. 3 bog
  4. 4 (figurative) a situation one cannot escape from

Examples

Shìbīngmen zài rèdài yǔlín de nísháo zhōng jiānnán qiánxíng.
The soldiers struggled to advance through the swamps of the tropical rainforest.
Tā de gōngsī xiàn rù le cáiwù nísháo, nányǐ zìbá.
His company has fallen into a financial quagmire and cannot pull itself out.
Zhànzhēng bǎ zhěnggè guójiā tuō rù le wújìn de nísháo.
The war dragged the entire country into an endless quagmire.

Tips

usage
泥沼 works both literally (a marshy swamp) and figuratively (an inescapable predicament). The figurative use is extremely common: 陷入泥沼 (to sink into a quagmire) is a set phrase used in politics, business, and personal situations.
memory
(mud) + (marsh/swamp) = muddy swamp. Both characters independently suggest wetland and difficulty — doubly stuck!

Stroke Order

zhǎo