骑虎难下
骑虎难下 (qí hǔ nán xià) literally means “hard to dismount tiger” and expresses “unable to stop dangerous course”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving life philosophy.
Also searched as: qi hu nan xia, qi hu nan xia,骑虎难下 meaning, 骑虎难下 in english
Unable to stop dangerous course
Pronunciation: qí hǔ nán xià Literal meaning: Hard to dismount tiger
Origin & Usage
With the campaign against Su Jun faltering, Wen Qiao argued in council with Tao Kan that there could be no turning on the heel: 骑猛兽，安可中下哉 — having mounted a fierce beast, how is a man to get off halfway? The History of the Jin gives the words as speech rather than a letter. What the image supplies is asymmetry: mounting (骑) the tiger (虎) was a choice, and getting down (下) is hard (难), because the danger of stopping now exceeds the danger of going on. Commitments that have passed the point of safe withdrawal.
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
Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about life philosophy
两虎相争
liǎng hǔ xiāng zhēng
Fierce competition between equals
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三人成虎
sān rén chéng hǔ
Repeated lie becomes truth
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马马虎虎
mǎ mǎ hǔ hǔ
Just so-so or passable quality
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与虎谋皮
yǔ hǔ móu pí
Asking someone to sacrifice their core interests
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虎踞龙盘
hǔ jù lóng pán
Commanding imposing strategic position
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虎头蛇尾
hǔ tóu shé wěi
Strong start with weak finish
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如虎添翼
rú hǔ tiān yì
Add to one's strength; become even more powerful
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天下无难事
tiān xià wú nán shì
Perseverance conquers all
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 骑虎难下 mean in English?
骑虎难下 (qí hǔ nán xià) literally translates to “Hard to dismount tiger” and is used to express “Unable to stop dangerous course”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Life Philosophy category.
When is 骑虎难下 used?
Situation: The politician found himself unable to reverse his controversial policy without losing credibility
What is the pinyin for 骑虎难下?
The pinyin pronunciation for 骑虎难下 is “qí hǔ nán xià”.