Tiếng Việt · Proverb Attested

tấn thối lưỡng nan

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In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

Hard forward, hard back — wedged where neither advance nor retreat will serve.

Literally: advance and retreat both difficult

Examples

Kẹt giữa hai bên, tấn thối lưỡng nan.Caught between both sides — no way forward, none back.

Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)

Sources & notes

Discovered via Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.

Common questions

What does “tấn thối lưỡng nan” mean?

Hard forward, hard back — wedged where neither advance nor retreat will serve. Literally: advance and retreat both difficult

Is “tấn thối lưỡng nan” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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