跳进黄河洗不清

1. • lit. even jumping into the Yellow River can't get you clean
2. • fig. to become inexorably mixed up
3. • mired in controversy
4. • in deep trouble

Character by character

• 跳(tiào)jump
• 进(jìn)go forward
• 黄(huáng)surname Huang or Hwang
• 河(hé)river
• 洗(xǐ)wash
• 不(bù)no
• 清(qīng)Qing (Wade-Giles: Ch'ing) dynasty of China