城墙上跑马，难掉头城牆上跑馬，難掉頭城牆上跑馬，難掉頭

Riding a horse along the top of a city wall: hard to turn around

Saying俗语俗語

Two-part saying歇后语歇後語 · Rarely used now

Meaning: Someone in a tight spot can't easily turn back or change course.
Wordplay: 掉头 (diàotóu) means both a horse turning around and a person turning back or changing course.

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Simplified: 城墙上跑马，难掉头
Traditional (Taiwan): 城牆上跑馬，難掉頭
Pinyin: chéngqiáng shang pǎomǎ, nán diàotóu
Pinyin (Taiwan): chéngqiáng shàng pǎomǎ, nán diàotóu
Bopomofo: ㄔㄥˊ ㄑㄧㄤˊ ㄕㄤˋ ㄆㄠˇ ㄇㄚˇ，ㄋㄢˊ ㄉㄧㄠˋ ㄊㄡˊ

Written with HSK 7-9 vocabulary, at CEFR level C1.

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