求生不得，求死不能

Chinese

		to seek survival	must not; should not; not be allowed must not; should not; not be allowed; to not receive		to seek; to look for; to request to seek; to look for; to request; to demand; to beseech	to die; impassable; uncrossable to die; impassable; uncrossable; inflexible; rigid	cannot; must not; should not cannot; must not; should not; to be unable to; to fail to
trad. (求生不得，求死不能)		求生	不得	，	求	死	不能
simp. ^#(求生不得，求死不能)		求生	不得	，	求	死	不能
Literally: “can't live and can't die”.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): qiúshēng bùdé, qiúsǐ bùnéng

(Zhuyin): ㄑㄧㄡˊ ㄕㄥㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄜˊ , ㄑㄧㄡˊ ㄙˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄋㄥˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): kau⁴ sang¹ bat¹ dak¹, kau⁴ sei² bat¹ nang⁴

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: qiúshēng bùdé, qiúsǐ bùnéng
  - Zhuyin: ㄑㄧㄡˊ ㄕㄥㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄜˊ , ㄑㄧㄡˊ ㄙˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄋㄥˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: cióusheng bùdé, cióusǐh bùnéng
  - Wade–Giles: chʻiu²-shêng¹ pu⁴-tê², chʻiu²-ssŭ³ pu⁴-nêng²
  - Yale: chyóu-shēng bù-dé-, chyóu-sž bù-néng
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: chyousheng buder, chyousyy buneng
  - Palladius: цюшэн будэ, цюсы бунэн (cjušɛn budɛ, cjusy bunɛn)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯³⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ tɤ³⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯³⁵ sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ nɤŋ³⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: kau⁴ sang¹ bat¹ dak¹, kau⁴ sei² bat¹ nang⁴
  - Yale: kàuh sāng bāt dāk, kàuh séi bāt nàhng
  - Cantonese Pinyin: kau⁴ sang¹ bat⁷ dak⁷, kau⁴ sei² bat⁷ nang⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: keo⁴ seng¹ bed¹ deg¹, keo⁴ séi² bed¹ neng⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰɐu̯²¹ sɐŋ⁵⁵ pɐt̚⁵ tɐk̚⁵ kʰɐu̯²¹ sei̯³⁵ pɐt̚⁵ nɐŋ²¹/

Idiom

求生不得，求死不能

between a rock and a hard place; in a bind; in a pickle
to have a fate worse than death (often as a curse)

See also

進退兩難／进退两难 (jìntuìliǎngnán)
進退維谷／进退维谷 (jìntuìwéigǔ)

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