be reduced to straits between the states of Chen and Cai [said of Confucius’s experience];an adversity; a misfortune ❍ 君子之厄于陈蔡之间，无上下之交也。(《孟子·尽心下》)The reason why the superior man was reduced to straits between Chen and Cai was because neither the princes of the time nor their ministers communicated with him.