骑虎难下

騎虎難下
qíhǔ-nánxià
idiom #33,153

Meanings

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

Examples

HSK 4
Tóu le zhème duō qián, xiǎng tíng yě tíng bù liǎo, zhēnshì qíhǔ-nánxià.
Having poured in so much money, he can't stop even if he wants to - truly stuck riding the tiger.
HSK 7-9
Shìqing fāzhǎn dào zhège dìbù, tā yǐjīng qíhǔ-nánxià le.
With things having gone this far, he's already in too deep to back out.

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

nán
xià