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左右為難

简左右为难 · 繁左右為難

Mandarin · pinyin zuǒ yòu wéi nán

(idiom) between a rock and a hard place
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.

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Mandarin tones

3–4–2–2 · zuo3 you4 wei2 nan2

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

左右為難 · find source passages ↗ · 左右为难 · find source passages ↗

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

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

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

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