To be in a difficult or dangerous situation from which one cannot back out or stop midway, even if one wishes to, because stopping would lead to greater trouble; to be caught in an inescapable predicament.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Story:
During the reign of Emperor Cheng of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the minister Wen Qiao organized a coalition army to suppress a rebellion. In the early stages of the war, several units of the coalition army suffered repeated defeats, and military provisions were almost exhausted. This situation greatly worried commander-in-chief Tao Kan.
He angrily told Wen Qiao, "When you mobilized me, you said everything was properly arranged. Now, after only a short period of combat, the military provisions are almost gone. If supplies cannot be provided immediately, I will have no choice but to withdraw the troops."
Wen Qiao replied to Tao Kan, "Since ancient times, to win a battle, internal unity must come first. Although our army is currently short of food and in a difficult position, if we withdraw immediately, we will not only be ridiculed, but the rebels will also become more arrogant. Our current situation is like riding a fierce beast: unless we kill the beast, how can we dismount? We must persevere with a single effort until the very end!"
Tao Kan accepted Wen Qiao's advice, led his troops in a valiant fight, and finally defeated the rebels. Wen Qiao's saying to persuade Tao Kan, "How can one dismount a fierce beast?" later evolved into the idiom "骑虎难下" (qí hǔ nán xià). It signifies that when a matter has developed to a certain point, it becomes impossible to stop, thus also implying a dilemma of being caught between a rock and a hard place.