tiến thoái lưỡng nan

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

  • (Southern Vietnam, dated) tấn thối lưỡng nan

Etymology

    Sino-Vietnamese word from 進退兩難.

    Pronunciation

    • (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [tiən˧˦ tʰwaːj˧˦ lɨəŋ˦ˀ˥ naːn˧˧]
    • (Huế) IPA(key): [tiəŋ˦˧˥ tʰwaːj˨˩˦ lɨəŋ˧˨ naːŋ˧˧]
    • (Saigon) IPA(key): [tiəŋ˦˥ tʰ⁽ʷ⁾aːj˦˥ lɨəŋ˨˩˦ naːŋ˧˧]

    Phrase

    tiến thoái lưỡng nan

    1. (literal) it's difficult either to advance or to retreat.
    2. between a rock and a hard place; a dilemma.
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