走投无路
zǒu tóu wú lù
to have nowhere to turn; at the end of one’s tether
Character by character
走zǒu
walk
walk
投tóu
turn to
turn to
无wú
no
no
路lù
road
road
Example
生意失败以后，房子也被银行收走了，他一时走投无路，只好回老家找哥哥帮忙。
After his business failed the bank took his house too; with nowhere to turn, he had to go home and ask his brother for help.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
投 is to go to someone for help or shelter, as in 投靠. Stronger than 一筹莫展: not just no plan, but no way out at all. Common as 被逼得走投无路 (driven to desperation), often to explain why someone did something drastic.
Learn this in Lesson 182 · HSK 7–9: 讨个说法 (Getting what you are owed)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. This lesson is free.
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