死路一条 sǐ lù yī tiáo a dead end

Explanation

指没有出路，比喻事情到了无法挽回的地步，彻底失败。

It means there is no way out, and it is compared to a situation that is irretrievable and leads to total failure.

Origin Story

很久以前，在一个古老的王国里，生活着一个名叫艾丽莎的公主。她聪明、美丽，但同时也是个倔强的女孩。有一天，她爱上了一个贫穷的骑士，但这遭到了国王的反对。国王为她安排了一场政治联姻，对象是邻国的一个王子。艾丽莎不甘心，她试图反抗，但发现自己孤立无援，所有的路似乎都走到了尽头，她陷入了死路一条的境地。她每天都坐在花园里，望着远方，心如刀绞，泪流不止。她不明白，为什么自己的爱情会如此坎坷。她感觉，自己像是一只困在笼中的鸟儿，无处可逃。她尝试过各种方法，希望能改变现状，但是都失败了。她开始绝望，开始认为，自己这一生都将如此度过，没有任何希望。她感觉，自己就像是被困在死胡同里，没有一点光明。她开始怀疑，自己的选择是否正确。她开始后悔，当初为什么那么固执。她开始想念，家乡的阳光，家乡的花草树木。她不知道，自己还能坚持多久。

hěn jiǔ yǐ qián, zài yīgè gǔ lǎo de wáng guó lǐ, shēng huó zhe yīgè míng jiào ài lì shā de gōng zhǔ. tā cōng míng, měi lì, dàn tóng shí yě shì gè jué jiàng de nǚ hái. yǒu yī tiān, tā ài shàng le yīgè pín qióng de qí shì, dàn zhè zāo dào le guó wáng de fǎn duì. guó wáng wèi tā ānpái le yī chǎng zhèng zhì lián yīn, duì xiàng shì lín guó de yīgè wáng zǐ. ài lì shā bù gān xīn, tā shì tú fǎn kàng, dàn fā xiàn zì jǐ gū lì wú yuán, suǒ yǒu de lù sìhū dōu zǒu dào le jìn tóu, tā xiàn rù le sǐ lù yī tiáo de jìng dì. tā měi tiān dōu zuò zài huā yuán lǐ, wàng zhe yuǎn fāng, xīn rú dāo jiǎo, lèi liú bù zhǐ. tā bù míng bái, wèi shén me zì jǐ de ài qíng huì rú cǐ kǎn kě. tā gǎn jué, zì jǐ xiàng shì yī zhī kùn zài lóng zhōng de niǎo ér, wú chù kě táo. tā cháng shì guò gè zhǒng fāng fǎ, xī wàng néng gǎi biàn xiàn zhuàng, dàn shì dōu shì bài le. tā kāi shǐ jué wàng, kāi shǐ rèn wéi, zì jǐ zhè yī shēng dōu jiāng rú cǐ dù guò, méi yǒu rènhé xī wàng. tā gǎn jué, zì jǐ jiù xiàng shì bèi kùn zài sǐ hú tóng lǐ, méi yǒu yī diǎn guāng míng. tā kāi shǐ huái yí, zì jǐ de xuǎn zé shì fǒu zhèng què. tā kāi shǐ hòu huǐ, dāng chū wèi shén me nà me gù zhí. tā kāi shǐ xiǎng niàn, jiā xiāng de yáng guāng, jiā xiāng de huā cǎo shù mù. tā bù zhī dào, zì jǐ hái néng jiān chí duō jiǔ.

Long ago, in an ancient kingdom, lived a princess named Elisa. She was intelligent and beautiful, but also a stubborn girl. One day, she fell in love with a poor knight, but this was opposed by the king. The king arranged a political marriage for her, to a prince from a neighboring country. Elisa was unhappy and tried to resist, but found herself isolated and helpless. All roads seemed to end, she was in a dead end. Every day she sat in the garden, looking into the distance, her heart aching, tears flowing endlessly. She didn't understand why her love was so bumpy. She felt like a bird trapped in a cage, with nowhere to escape. She tried various methods to change the situation, but they all failed. She began to despair, and to believe that she would spend her whole life like this, without any hope. She felt like she was trapped in a dead end, with no light at all. She began to doubt whether her choice was correct. She began to regret why she had been so stubborn. She began to miss the sunshine of her hometown, the plants and trees of her hometown. She didn't know how long she could hold on.

Usage

常用作谓语、宾语、定语；多用于比喻句中，表示事情到了无法挽回的绝境。

cháng yòng zuò wèi yǔ, bīn yǔ, dìng yǔ; duō yòng yú bǐ yù jù zhōng, biǎo shì shì qíng dào le wú fǎ wǎn huí de jué jìng.

Often used as predicate, object and attributive; mostly used in metaphors to indicate that things have reached a point of no return.

Examples

• 他走投无路，已到了死路一条的地步。

  tā zǒu tóu wú lù, yǐ dào le sǐ lù yī tiáo de dìbu

  He is at his wit's end, and has reached a dead end.

• 这条路不通，我们算是走到死路一条了。

  zhè tiáo lù bù tōng, wǒmen kǎnsuàn zǒu dào sǐ lù yī tiáo le

  This road is impassable; we've reached a dead end

Related Idioms

• 山穷水尽

• 走投无路

Opposite Idioms

• 前途光明

• 柳暗花明