走 投 无 路

zǒu tóu wú lùdictionary entry

to be at an impasse (idiom) / in a tight spot / at the end of one's rope / desperate

Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-6ae9ae28806e8698. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

走投無路 走投无路 [zou3 tou2 wu2 lu4] /to be at an impasse (idiom)/in a tight spot/at the end of one's rope/desperate/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 走投無路

走
zǒu
to walk / to go / to run / to move (of vehicle) / to visit / to leave / to go away / to die (euph.) / from / through / away (in compound verbs, such as 撤走[chè zǒu]) / to change (shape, form, meaning)
投
tóu
to throw (sth in a specific direction: ball, javelin, grenade etc) / to cast (a ballot) / to cast (a glance, a shadow etc) / to put in (money for investment, a coin to operate a slot machine) / to send (a letter, a manuscript etc) / to throw oneself into (a river, a well etc to commit suicide) / to go to / to seek refuge / to place oneself into the hands of / (coll.) to rinse (clothes) in water
无
mó
used in 南無|南无[nā mó]
wú
not to have / no / none / not / to lack / un- / -less
路
lù
road (CL:條|条[tiáo]) / journey / route / line (bus etc) / sort / kind
Lù
surname Lu

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.