泥沼
also: ドロぬま
Meanings
1
Literal muddy wetland; often implies a place difficult to walk through or get out of.
The road had turned into a quagmire after the rain.
2
quagmire; morass; dire situation
Only with reading どろぬま / ドロぬま
Figurative use: a difficult, entangled situation from which it is hard to escape. Often used with verbs like はまる (get stuck in) or 抜け出す (get out of).
He got stuck in a morass of debt.
The negotiations have bogged down.
Usage patterns
- 泥沼にはまるto get stuck in a quagmire (situation)
Their relationship got stuck in a quagmire.
- 泥沼から抜け出すto get out of a quagmire (situation)
He finally managed to escape the debt quagmire.
- 泥沼の〈事〉a drawn-out, deadlocked (conflict, dispute, etc.)
The two countries fell into a protracted, unwinnable war.