Chinese begins with basics like characters, builds up to words, and reaches idioms. This free resource introduces advanced idioms like 「進退跋疐」, with details below.
For this session, we will be discussing the idiom 「進退跋疐」. See below for its meaning and practical usage.
It means being caught between a rock and a hard place. It is a metaphor that things cannot be decided and therefore it is difficult to take action.
The Mandarin pronunciation of this idiom is :
jìn tuì bá dì
while its Cantonese pinyin is :
jeun3 teui3 bat6 ji3
The vastness of Chinese idioms, with their many meanings and applications, is inspiring. We hope these resources will guide you in your language-learning adventure.

