内忧外困 nèi yōu wài kùn

DEFINITIONS

  1. internal trouble and outside aggression (idiom); in a mess both domestically and abroad

CHARACTERS

内 nèi inside
忧 yōu sad, grieved; grief, melancholy
外 wài out, outside, external; foreign
困 kùn to surround, besiege; to be surrounded; difficult