進退兩難

See also: 进退两难

Chinese

		to advance and retreat; sense of propriety	two difficulties; being in a dilemma or quandary situation
trad. (進退兩難)		進退	兩難
simp. (进退两难)		进退	两难

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): jìntuìliǎngnán

(Zhuyin): ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄊㄨㄟˋ ㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄋㄢˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): zeon³ teoi³ loeng⁵ naan⁴
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): chin-thui-lióng-nàn
Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): chìn-thòe-lióng-lân / chìn-thè-lióng-lân

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: jìntuìliǎngnán
  - Zhuyin: ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄊㄨㄟˋ ㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄋㄢˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: jìntuèiliǎngnán
  - Wade–Giles: chin⁴-tʻui⁴-liang³-nan²
  - Yale: jìn-twèi-lyǎng-nán
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jinntueyleangnan
  - Palladius: цзиньтуйляннань (czinʹtujljannanʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕin⁵¹⁻⁵³ tʰu̯eɪ̯⁵¹ li̯ɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ nän³⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: zeon³ teoi³ loeng⁵ naan⁴
  - Yale: jeun teui léuhng nàahn
  - Cantonese Pinyin: dzoen³ toey³ loeng⁵ naan⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: zên³ têu³ lêng⁵ nan⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sɵn³³ tʰɵy̯³³ lœːŋ¹³ naːn²¹/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chin-thui-lióng-nàn
  - Hakka Romanization System: jin tui liong^ˋ nan^ˇ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: jin⁴ tui⁴ liong³ nan²
  - Sinological IPA: /t͡sin⁵⁵ tʰu̯i⁵⁵ li̯oŋ³¹ nan¹¹/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, variant in Taiwan)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chìn-thòe-lióng-lân
  - Tâi-lô: tsìn-thuè-lióng-lân
  - Phofsit Daibuun: cientoealiofnglaan
  - IPA (Taipei): /t͡sin¹¹⁻⁵³ tʰue¹¹⁻⁵³ liɔŋ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lan²⁴/
  - IPA (Xiamen): /t͡sin²¹⁻⁵³ tʰue²¹⁻⁵³ liɔŋ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lan²⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sin²¹⁻⁴¹ tʰue²¹⁻⁴¹ liɔŋ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ lan²³/
- (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chìn-thè-lióng-lân
  - Tâi-lô: tsìn-thè-lióng-lân
  - Phofsit Daibuun: cientealiofnglaan
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sin²¹⁻⁴¹ tʰe²¹⁻⁴¹ liɔŋ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ lan²³/
  - IPA (Taipei): /t͡sin¹¹⁻⁵³ tʰe¹¹⁻⁵³ liɔŋ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lan²⁴/

Idiom

進退兩難

between a rock and a hard place
in a bind; in a pickle
describes an awkward situation where one does not know what to do

Related terms

不上不下 (bùshàngbùxià)
進退維谷／进退维谷 (jìntuìwéigǔ)