进退维谷 jìn tuì wéi gǔ

DEFINITIONS

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

CHARACTERS

进 jìn advance, make progress, enter
退 tuì step back, retreat, withdraw
维 wéi maintain, preserve, safeguard
谷 gǔ valley, gorge, ravine