骑虎难下

騎虎難下

qíhǔnánxià

idiom #33,153

Meanings

1 to be in a position where you can't back down
2 caught in a dilemma
3 riding a tiger and unable to dismount

Characters

to get off, dismount

Examples

事情发展到这个地步，他已经骑虎难下了。

Shìqing fāzhǎn dào zhège dìbù, tā yǐjīng qí hǔ nán xià le.

With things having gone this far, he's already in too deep to back out.

投了这么多钱，想停也停不了，真是骑虎难下。

Tóu le zhème duō qián, xiǎng tíng yě tíng bù liǎo, zhēn shì qí hǔ nán xià.

Having poured in so much money, he can't stop even if he wants to — truly stuck riding the tiger.

Tips

memory

Pictured literally: once you're on the tiger's back, jumping off gets you eaten. Stopping is as dangerous as continuing — the exact shape of a sunk-cost / commitment trap.

Stroke Order

骑 qí

虎 hǔ

难 nán

下 xià