Chinese idiom · 成语
走投无路
Meaning
Fleeing with no path; utter desperation.
Character by character
Origin and story
Dramatic attestationIn act 3 of Yang Xianzhi's Yuan play Xiaoxiang Rain, a suffering traveler uses this expression amid a punishing journey toward Shamen Island. Rain pours down, mud makes the ground slippery, and a cart rut traps a leg. The destination is compared with the underworld. The phrase belongs to this dramatic picture of someone unable to find a way out of misery.
走投 means going or turning somewhere for refuge; 无路 says that no route is available. The expression therefore extends naturally from physical obstruction to a desperate situation with no apparent solution. This Yuan attestation predates the Ming novels that also use it, but need not be treated as a proven first coinage.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
接连失业又失去住处，他感到走投无路，只好向朋友求助。
After losing both his job and his home, he felt he had nowhere to turn and asked a friend for help.
Strong language for serious desperation, not a small inconvenience.