釋義：

Between…and 在…之間；rock 石頭；hard place 堅硬的地方；between a rock and a hard place: Being in a dilemma where the only two available options are both unsatisfying or bad. 處于一個兩難的境地中，其中的兩種選擇都很糟糕；

來源：

The origin of this phrase is believed to be rooted in the United States. 這個俚語來自美國；It is not entirely

clear on where exactly this expression comes from, 具體的來源地不是很清楚；but some guess it may come from Arizona during financial panics that happened in the early 20th century. 但是有人猜測它來自于20世紀發生于亞利桑那州的金融恐慌；According to The Phrase Finder, the earliest known recording of the idiom can be found in the Dialect Notes V from the year 1921, where it reads: 據發現者說，關于這個習語最早的記錄來自于1921年的Dialect Notes V，其中是這么寫的："To be between a rock and a hard place, to be bankrupt. Common in Arizona in recent panics; sporadic in California." 處于兩難的境地，并且要破產，這在亞利桑那州很普遍，但在加利福尼亞偶爾發生；Judging by that quote, it looks as though the phrase originally meant to be bankrupt, where as today it means "facing a tough dilemma." 根據上面的引用判斷，這個詞組剛開始是用來表示破產，而現在被用來指代進退兩難；

舉例：

1. I'm between a rock and a hard place... on one hand I can go to the movies with my girlfriend, or I can choose to go to dinner with my friends.

選擇去和朋友看電影，還是和女朋友去吃飯，我真的是進退兩難啊 ；

2. I really want to quit my job, but I need the money, I feel caught between a rock and a hard place.

我好想辭職，可是又需要錢，我覺得左右為難。