进退两难

進退兩難
jìntuì-liǎngnán
idiom #14,406

Meanings

  1. 1 caught in a dilemma
  2. 2 no way to advance or retreat
  3. 3 between a rock and a hard place

Examples

HSK 3
Tā xiànzài jìntuì-liǎngnán, bù zhīdào gāi zěnmebàn.
He's caught in a dilemma now and doesn't know what to do.
HSK 6
Gōngsī xiànrù le jìntuì-liǎngnán de júmiàn.
The company found itself in an impossible situation.

Tips

memory
进 (advance) + 退 (retreat) + 两 (both) + 难 (difficult) - both going forward and going back are difficult.

Stroke Order

进 jìn
退 tuì
两 liǎng
难 nán