涸辙之鲋

涸轍之鮒
hézhézhīfù
  1. lit. a fish in a dried-out rut (idiom)
  2. fig. a person in dire straits

CEDICT

  1. (figurative) a person in a desperate situation; a person in a tight spot
  2. a person in a desperate situation; a person in a tight spot

Wiktionary

陷入困境，急需救援的人

維基詞典

Entry Composition

1 涸 hé
  1. to dry
  2. to dry up
2 辙 zhé
  1. rut; track of a wheel (Taiwan pr. chè)
  2. (coll.) the direction of traffic
  3. a rhyme (of a song, poem etc)
  4. (dialect) (usu. after 有 yǒu or 没 méi) way; idea
3 之 zhī
  1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 de)
  2. him
  3. her
  4. it
4 鲋 fù silver carp