Proverb / Kotowaza
痛し痒し
A dilemma where every available option leads to some inconvenience or problem.
Painful and itchy.
Quick Answer
A dilemma where every available option leads to some inconvenience or problem.
- Literal Image
- Painful and itchy.
- Closest Equivalent
- Between a rock and a hard place
- How to Use It
- Used to describe a difficult choice where neither option is ideal and both come with significant drawbacks, such as in business decisions or complex personal situations.
Meaning
This expression describes a situation where you are caught between two undesirable choices, making it difficult to decide. If you satisfy one condition, you inevitably compromise another, leading to a state of being stuck in a dilemma with no perfect solution.
Literal Image
Painful and itchy.
Equivalent Proverbs
Between a rock and a hard place
Shares the core meaning of being caught in a dilemma with no good options.
A double-edged sword
Focuses on an action having both positive and negative consequences, rather than a pure dilemma.
How to Use It
Used to describe a difficult choice where neither option is ideal and both come with significant drawbacks, such as in business decisions or complex personal situations.
Tone
Reflective and slightly distressed, used to acknowledge a tough situation with no easy way out.
Examples
値上げすれば客が離れ、値上げしなければ経営が苦しい。まさに痛し痒しの状況だ。
If we raise prices, customers will leave; if we don't raise prices, the business will suffer. It is truly a painful and itchy situation.
A business scenario illustrating a difficult choice.
Learning Notes
Key Vocabulary
Uses the classical '-shi' adjective ending for the words 'itai' (painful) and 'kayui' (itchy), making the grammar slightly tricky despite simple vocabulary roots.
痛し
いたし / itashi
painful (classical adjective form of itai)
痒し
かゆし / kayushi
itchy (classical adjective form of kayui)
Usage Profile
Usage note: Can be used metaphorically; avoid using it as a literal medical description.
Misread Risk
Do not read it only as a literal statement about physical discomfort; its primary function is to communicate a metaphorical dilemma.
Search As
Related Proverbs
Origin
The phrase originates from the uncomfortable physical sensation where a part of the body is both painful and itchy. If you scratch it, it hurts; if you do not scratch it, it remains itchy. From this physical state, it became a metaphor for a dilemma where any choice leads to some form of inconvenience or problem.
Index
Topics, Situations, and Tags
Topics
Situations
Tags
Source Note
Where did this entry get its data from? The reference links are listed below. To understand how to read this section, see Data Sources.