A predicament is a hard, uncomfortable situation. You are in it now, and you cannot see a clean way out — or every way out will hurt someone or cost you something.

A predicamentpredicament is a hard, uncomfortable situation是一個困難、讓人不舒服的處境。You are in it now你現在就身處其中，and you cannot see a clean way out看不到一個乾淨俐落的出路——or every way out will hurt someone or cost you something或者每一條出路都會傷到某個人，或讓你付出代價。

People use it for real-life corners: two friends asked for help at the same hour; you lost your passport the night before a flight; you said a sharp thing and now you have to walk into that room.

People use it for real-life corners人們會用它來形容真實生活中的困境：two friends asked for help at the same hour兩個朋友在同一個時間都找你幫忙；you lost your passport the night before a flight你在搭飛機前一晚弄丟了護照；you said a sharp thing and now you have to walk into that room你說了一句很尖銳的話，現在得走進那個房間。

It is a little more formal than trouble. In a quick chat you might say you are stuck, or you do not know what to do; predicament shows up in stories, news, and careful talk.

It is a little more formal than trouble它比trouble稍微正式一點。In a quick chat在隨口聊天的時候，you might say you are stuck, or you do not know what to do你可能會說你卡住了，或不知道該怎麼辦；predicament shows up in stories, news, and careful talkpredicament則會出現在故事、新聞，還有講究的談話裡。

Though actually, the word did not begin as trouble. It came from an old philosophy word for a category — a type of thing you can say about something. English later poured a new meaning into the same shape: not a type, but a tight spot you have landed in.

Though actually不過其實，the word did not begin as trouble這個字一開始的意思不是麻煩。It came from an old philosophy word for a category它來自一個古老的哲學用語，指「範疇」——a type of thing you can say about something也就是你可以拿來描述某個東西的一種類型。English later poured a new meaning into the same shape後來英文把一個新的意思，倒進了同樣的這個字形裡：not a type不是一種類型，but a tight spot you have landed in而是你陷進去的一個困境。