内忧外患

nèi yōu wài huàn

trouble at home and threats from abroad

Character by character

内nèi
internal

忧yōu
worries

外wài
external

患huàn
troubles

当时的清政府内忧外患，已经无力改革。

Beset at home and abroad, the Qing government of the time no longer had the strength to reform.

Tone: neutral.

Learn this in Lesson 81 · HSK 6–7: 从鸦片战争到1949 (From the Opium War to 1949)

A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.