Definition

1. Noun:
   • Stalemate (in chess): A situation in chess where a player, on their turn, is not in check but has no legal move. This results in a draw.
   • Deadlock / Impasse: A difficult situation or position from which there is no obvious way to escape or make progress; a fix or a tight spot.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Anh ta đẩy đối thủ vào thế nước bí. (He forced his opponent into a stalemate.)
  • Công ty đang lâm vào nước bí về tài chính. (The company is in a financial deadlock.)
  • Đó quả là một nước bí khó xử. (That is truly a difficult fix.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used metaphorically outside of chess to describe any scenario that is stuck, with no good solutions available, similar to being "between a rock and a hard place."

Variants and Related Words

• Bí (adj): stuck, cornered, or at a loss.
  • Bài toán này làm tôi bí quá. (This math problem has me completely stuck.)

Synonyms

• Stalemate: A draw in chess; any situation where further action is blocked.
• Impasse: A situation in which no progress is possible.
• Quandary: A state of perplexity or uncertainty.
• Predicament: A difficult, unpleasant, or embarrassing situation.
• Deadlock: A situation where agreement cannot be reached.

Related Idioms

• Vào thế bí: to be cornered, to be put in a tight spot.
  • Sau cuộc thương lượng thất bại, họ đã vào thế bí. (After the failed negotiation, they were cornered.)
• Bí nước: (a less common variant) can also imply being stuck or having no moves left.

1. Stalemate
2. Fix, straits, cleft stick, pinch, pretty pass