进退两难 jìn tuì liǎng nán

in an impossible situation

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency 14509th word

Definitions

  1. 1. in an impossible situation
  2. 2. no room to advance or to retreat (idiom); without any way out of a dilemma
  3. 3. trapped

Characters

Character Meaning
进 jìn HSK 2
to enter; to go in; to go forward
退 tuì HSK 5
to withdraw; to retreat; to move back
两 liǎng HSK 2
two; both; some
难 nán HSK 3
difficult; difficult (to...); difficulty