| 两难 | liǎng nán | dilemma / quandary / to face a difficult choice |   |
| 困局 | kùn jú | dilemma / predicament / difficult situation | |
| 左右为难 | zuǒ yòu wéi nán | (idiom) between a rock and a hard place / in a dilemma | |
| 进退两难 | jìn tuì liǎng nán | no room to advance or to retreat (idiom) / without any way out of a dilemma / trapped / in an impossible situation | |
| 狼狈不堪 | láng bèi bù kān | battered and exhausted / stuck in a dilemma | |
| 进退维谷 | jìn tuì wéi gǔ | no room to advance or to retreat (idiom) / without any way out of a dilemma / trapped / in an impossible situation | |
| 左右两难 | zuǒ yòu liǎng nán | (idiom) between a rock and a hard place / in a dilemma | |
| 羊触藩篱 | yáng chù fān lí | lit. billy goat's horns caught in the fence (idiom from Book of Changes 易經|易经) / impossible to advance or to retreat / without any way out of a dilemma / trapped / in an impossible situation | |
| 羝羊触藩 | dī yáng chù fān | lit. billy goat's horns caught in the fence (idiom from Book of Changes 易經|易经) / impossible to advance or to retreat / without any way out of a dilemma / trapped / in an impossible situation | |
| 进退为难 | jìn tuì wéi nán | no room to advance or to retreat (idiom) / without any way out of a dilemma / trapped / in an impossible situation | |
| 介于两难 | jiè yú liǎng nán | to be on the horns of a dilemma (idiom) | |
| 进退不得 | jìn tuì bù dé | can't advance or retreat (idiom) / no room for maneuver / stalled / in a dilemma / stuck in a difficult position | |
| 道德困境 | dào dé kùn jìng | ethical dilemma | |
| 囚犯困境 | | prisoner's dilemma | |
