tiến thoái lưỡng nan
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Vietnamese
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]- (Southern Vietnam, dated) tấn thối lưỡng nan
Etymology
[edit]Sino-Vietnamese word from 進退兩難.
Pronunciation
[edit]- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [tiən˧˦ tʰwaːj˧˦ lɨəŋ˦ˀ˥ naːn˧˧]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [tiəŋ˦˧˥ tʰwaːj˨˩˦ lɨəŋ˧˨ naːŋ˧˧]
- (Saigon) IPA(key): [tiəŋ˦˥ tʰ⁽ʷ⁾aːj˦˥ lɨəŋ˨˩˦ naːŋ˧˧]
Phrase
[edit]- (literal) it's difficult either to advance or to retreat
- between a rock and a hard place