骑虎难下

Pronunciation: qí hǔ nán xià
Literal meaning: Hard to dismount tiger

Origin & Usage

This precarious idiom describes the difficulty of dismounting (难下) once riding (骑) a tiger (虎), originating from Tang Dynasty political commentary. It illustrated how beginning dangerous enterprises creates situations where stopping becomes more perilous than continuing. The tiger metaphor perfectly captured both power and danger—riding provides temporary advantage but creates a deadly dismount problem. During the Song Dynasty, historical chronicles used it to analyze how rulers became trapped in policies they couldn't safely abandon. Unlike terms for simple difficulty, it specifically addresses situations where the process of extraction appears more dangerous than continuation. Modern usage describes commitments that cannot be safely abandoned despite recognizing their inherent danger, particularly courses of action where both continuation and cessation present significant risks.

Examples

English: "The politician found himself unable to reverse his controversial policy without losing credibility"

Chinese: 这位政治家发现自己无法在不失去信誉的情况下撤回有争议的政策

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