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左右為難

简 左右为难 · 繁 左右為難
Mandarin · pinyin zuǒ yòu wéi nán

Meanings

  1. (idiom) between a rock and a hard place
  2. in a dilemma
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Characters in this entry

左
zuǒ · left; east; unorthodox, improper
右
yòu · right; west; right-wing
為
Look up this written character
難
Look up this written character
为
wèi · do, handle, govern, act; be
难
nán · difficult, arduous, hard; unable
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Entries containing 左右為難 ↗Words written with 左 ↗Words written with 右 ↗Words written with 為 ↗Words written with 難 ↗Words written with 为 ↗Words written with 难 ↗

Mandarin tones

3–4–2–2 · zuo3 you4 wei2 nan2

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Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

  1. (idiomatic) to be between a rock and a hard place

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack