tiến thoái lưỡng nan

== Vietnamese == === Alternative forms === (Southern Vietnam, dated) tấn thối lưỡng nan === Etymology === Sino-Vietnamese word from 進退兩難. === Pronunciation === (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 === tiến thoái lưỡng nan (literal) it's difficult either to advance or to retreat. between a rock and a hard place; a dilemma.