左右两难 zuǒ yòu liǎng nán Between a rock and a hard place

Explanation

形容进退维谷，难以抉择的困境。

Describes a situation where one is faced with two difficult choices.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，有一位名叫李白的诗人，他非常喜欢喝酒，一日，他与朋友相约，来到一家酒馆。酒过三巡，李白豪情万丈，提笔写下一首诗，诗中描绘了朋友之间的情谊。写完之后，他发现自己酒醉了，身上已经没有钱了，而朋友却已经离开了。李白非常尴尬，他既不想欠下酒钱，也不想让店家不高兴。这时，酒馆老板走了过来，李白心想：我该怎么办？是向朋友借钱呢？还是向老板解释，请求赊欠呢？这真是左右为难。最后，李白选择向酒馆老板解释了情况，并保证过几天一定回来付钱，酒馆老板被他的才华和诚意打动，答应了李白的请求。李白这才长舒一口气，离开了酒馆。

huà shuō táng cháo shí qī, yǒu yī wèi míng jiào lǐ bái de shī rén, tā fēicháng xǐ huan hē jiǔ, yī rì, tā yǔ péng yǒu xiāng yuē, lái dào yī jiā jiǔ guǎn. jiǔ guò sān xún, lǐ bái háo qíng wàn zhàng, tí bǐ xiě xià yī shǒu shī, shī zhōng miáo huì le péng yǒu zhī jiān de qíng yì. xiě wán zhī hòu, tā fā xiàn zì jǐ jiǔ zuì le, shēn shàng yǐ jīng méi yǒu qián le, ér péng yǒu què yǐ jīng lí kāi le. lǐ bái fēicháng gāng gà, tā jì bù xiǎng qiàn xià jiǔ qián, yě bù xiǎng ràng diàn jiā bù gāo xìng. zhè shí, jiǔ guǎn lǎo bǎn zǒu le guò lái, lǐ bái xiǎng xiang: wǒ gāi zěn me bàn? shì xiàng péng yǒu jiè qián ne? háishì xiàng lǎo bǎn jiě shì, qǐng qiú shē qiàn ne? zhè zhēn shì zuǒ yòu liǎng nán. zuì hòu, lǐ bái xuǎn zé xiàng jiǔ guǎn lǎo bǎn jiě shì le qíng kuàng, bìng bǎozhèng guò jǐ tiān yī dìng huí lái fù qián, jiǔ guǎn lǎo bǎn bèi tā de cái huá hé chéng yì dǎ dòng, dā yìng le lǐ bái de qǐng qiú. lǐ bái cái cèi cháng shū yī kǒu qì, lí kāi le jiǔ guǎn.

Once upon a time, in the Tang Dynasty, there was a famous poet named Li Bai who loved drinking. One day, he made an appointment with a friend to go to a tavern. After several rounds of drinks, Li Bai, filled with emotion, picked up his pen and wrote a poem depicting the friendship between him and his friend. When he was done, he found that he was drunk and had no more money, and his friend had already left. Li Bai felt very embarrassed. He neither wanted to owe the tavern keeper money nor wanted to make the tavern keeper unhappy. At that moment, the tavern keeper walked over. Li Bai thought: What should I do? Should I borrow money from my friend? Or should I explain the situation to the tavern keeper and ask to be credited? It was truly a difficult decision for him. In the end, Li Bai chose to explain the situation to the tavern keeper and promised to pay back the money in a few days. The tavern keeper was touched by his talent and sincerity and agreed to Li Bai's request. Li Bai finally breathed a sigh of relief and left the tavern.

Usage

用于形容进退两难的处境。

yong yu xingrong jin tui liang nan de chujing

Used to describe a situation where one is in a dilemma.

Examples

• 他面临着左右为难的局面。

  ta lianlinzhe zuo you wei nan de ju mian.

  He is in a difficult situation.

• 这个决定让他左右两难。

  zhege jueding rang ta zuo you liang nan

  This decision puts him in a dilemma.

Related Idioms

• 左右为难

• 进退两难

Opposite Idioms

• 一帆风顺

• 轻而易举