倒悬之苦 dào xuán zhī kǔ

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. the pain of being hanged upside down (idiom); fig. extremely critical situation
  2. dire straits

CHARACTERS

倒 dào
HSK 4
fall over; lie down; take turns
悬 xuán
HSK 6
hang, suspend, hoist; be hung
之 zhī
HSK 4
marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; go to
苦 kǔ
HSK 4
bitter; hardship, suffering