進退維谷

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.]

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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. 11^th – 7^th 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”. [Pinyin]

Look into the middle of that forest, At the herds of deer roaming together.
[But here] 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

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): jìntuìwéigǔ

  (Zhuyin): ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄊㄨㄟˋ ㄨㄟˊ ㄍㄨˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zeon³ teoi³ wai⁴ guk¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: jìntuìwéigǔ
    • Zhuyin: ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄊㄨㄟˋ ㄨㄟˊ ㄍㄨˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jìntuèiwéigǔ
    • Wade–Giles: chin⁴-tʻui⁴-wei²-ku³
    • Yale: jìn-twèi-wéi-gǔ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jinntueyweiguu
    • Palladius: цзиньтуйвэйгу (czinʹtujvɛjgu)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕin⁵¹⁻⁵³ tʰu̯eɪ̯⁵¹ weɪ̯³⁵ ku²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: zeon³ teoi³ wai⁴ guk¹
    • Yale: jeun teui wàih gūk
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzoen³ toey³ wai⁴ guk⁷
    • Guangdong Romanization: zên³ têu³ wei⁴ gug¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sɵn³³ tʰɵy̯³³ wɐi̯²¹ kʊk̚⁵/

Idiom

進退維谷

1. between a rock and a hard place

Synonyms

• 不上不下 (bùshàngbùxià)
• 進退兩難／进退两难 (jìntuìliǎngnán)