strait

n. narrow body of water that connects two larger bodies of water; misery, distress, difficult situation

adj. difficult, distressing; narrow (Archaic)

A strait is a narrow channel of water that connects two larger bodies of water, and thus lies between two land masses. The terms strait, channel, passage, sound, and firth can be synonymous and interchangeable, although each is sometimes differentiated with varying senses. Many straits are economically important. Straits can lie on important shipping routes, and wars have been fought for control of these straits. Numerous artificial channels, called canals, have been constructed to connect two bodies of water over land.
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Noun
1. a narrow channel of the sea joining two larger bodies of water
(synonym) sound
(hypernym) channel
(hyponym) Dardanelles, Hellespont
2. a bad or difficult situation or state of affairs
(synonym) pass, straits
(hypernym) situation
(hyponym) desperate straits, dire straits
Adjective
1. strict and severe; "strait is the gate"
(similar) narrow
(classification) archaism, archaicism

(v. t.)
To put to difficulties.
  

(superl.)
Tight; close; closely fitting.
  

(superl.)
Strict; scrupulous; rigorous.
  

(superl.)
Parsimonious; niggargly; mean.
  

(superl.)
Narrow; not broad.
  

(superl.)
Difficult; distressful; straited.
  

(superl.)
Close; intimate; near; familiar.
  

(adv.)
Strictly; rigorously.
  

(a.)
Fig.: A condition of narrowness or restriction; doubt; distress; difficulty; poverty; perplexity; -- sometimes in the plural; as, reduced to great straits.
  

(a.)
A variant of Straight.
  

(a.)
A neck of land; an isthmus.
  

(a.)
A narrow pass or passage.
  

(a.)
A (comparatively) narrow passageway connecting two large bodies of water; -- often in the plural; as, the strait, or straits, of Gibraltar; the straits of Magellan; the strait, or straits, of Mackinaw.
  

si4 mian4 chu3 ge1
Chu songs on four sides.
Be besieged by the enemy on all sides. Be utterly isolated. Be in desperate straits. Being cut off from outside help.

lang2 bei4 bu4 kan1
A difficult situation than cannot be endured.
To be extremely miserable and wretched, in a sorrow plight, awkward position and/or sore straits. The expression 狼狈 can be used in many contexts.