進退維谷

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See also: 进退维谷

Chinese

to advance and retreat; sense of propriety
to preserve; to maintain; to hold together
to preserve; to maintain; to hold together; dimension
 
 valley
trad. (進退維谷) 進退 維 谷
simp. (进退维谷) 进退 维 谷

Etymology

From the Classic of Poetry, poem 257 (《詩經·大雅·桑柔》):

瞻彼中林，甡甡其鹿。
朋友已譖，不胥以穀。
人亦有言：「進退維谷」。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
瞻彼中林，甡甡其鹿。
朋友已谮，不胥以谷。
人亦有言：「进退维谷」。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11th – 7th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
Zhān bǐ zhōng lín, shēnshēn qí lù.
Péngyǒu yǐ zèn, bù xū yǐ gǔ.
Rén yì yǒu yán: “Jìntuì wéi gǔ”.
Look into the middle of that forest, At the herds of deer roaming together.
friends are insincere, And do not help one another in what is good.
People have the saying, "To go forwards or backwards is alike impracticable."

Pronunciation

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Particularly: “Hokkien”
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Particularly: “Teochew”

Idiom

進退維谷

  1. between a rock and a hard place

Synonyms

Wikious
Boobota
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