# 进退维谷

jìn tuì wéi gǔ

Be trapped in a dilemma

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** Both advance and retreat meet a valley

**Traditional Chinese:** 進退維谷

**Register:** Somber · literary

[Choices & judgment](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/decisions)

## When to use it

Describe choices whose alternatives both cause serious trouble.

More than having two equally attractive options.

## Understanding the expression

Advancing and retreating normally offer opposite ways to escape a difficult position. Here, both directions lead into trouble. The expression describes a dilemma in which staying, leaving, accepting, or refusing each carries a serious cost. It does not mean that no imaginable solution exists, only that the obvious choices are constrained. The sentence is most informative when it explains the competing pressures rather than merely announcing a difficult mood.

## Examples

留下会亏钱，退出要赔偿，他进退维谷。

### Traditional Chinese

留下會虧錢，退出要賠償，他進退維谷。

liú xià huì kuī qián ， tuì chū yào péi cháng ， tā jìn tuì wéi gǔ 。

Staying loses money, leaving requires compensation; he is trapped.

两边都催他表态，他进退维谷。

### Traditional Chinese

兩邊都催他表態，他進退維谷。

liǎng biān dōu cuī tā biǎo tài ， tā jìn tuì wéi gǔ 。

Pressure from both sides leaves him in a dilemma.

她要照顾孩子又不能请假，进退维谷。

### Traditional Chinese

她要照顧孩子又不能請假，進退維谷。

tā yào zhào gù hái zi yòu bù néng qǐng jià ， jìn tuì wéi gǔ 。

Unable to take leave but needing childcare, she is caught.

合同争议让双方进退维谷。

### Traditional Chinese

合同爭議讓雙方進退維谷。

hé tong zhēng yì ràng shuāng fāng jìn tuì wéi gǔ 。

The contract dispute puts both parties in a difficult dilemma.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 6, 2026.

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E9%80%B2%E9%80%80%E7%B6%AD%E8%B0%B7)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=464&webMd=1&la=0)

## Keep exploring

- [咎由自取 jiù yóu zì qǔ Bring trouble upon oneself ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/jiu-you-zi-qu)

- [居安思危 jū ān sī wēi Stay alert to risk in secure times ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/ju-an-si-wei)

- [举棋不定 jǔ qí bù dìng Hesitate over a decision ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/ju-qi-bu-ding)

- [开门揖盗 kāi mén yī dào Invite harm through careless openness ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/kai-men-yi-dao)

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