catch-22
/ˈkætʃˌtwentɪˈtuː/noun
- a dilemma or difficult circumstance from which there is no escape because of mutually conflicting or dependent conditions进退两难的窘境; （因受互相冲突或互相依存的情况所掣肘而）无法摆脱的困境：
as modifier a catch-22 situation.无法摆脱的困境。
词源
1970s: title of a novel by Joseph Heller (1961)， in which the main character feigns madness in order to avoid dangerous combat missions， but his desire to avoid them is taken to prove his sanity.