下坡路 (xià pō lù) — downhill path (literal); decline, downturn (figurative)
Definition
Literally a 'downhill path' (literal, physical slope), but in 走下坡路 it almost always means 'going downhill' figuratively — a steady decline in health, business, or situation. The verb 走 is fixed; do not swap it.
noun
downhill path (literal)declinedownturn (figurative)
Measure word · 条
Examples
- 下坡路，。Zhè tiáo xià pō lù bù hǎo zǒu, yào xiǎo xīn.This downhill path is hard to walk; be careful.
- 。Zuì jìn gōng sī de shēng yì yì zhí zài zǒu xià pō lù.The company's business has been going downhill lately.
- 。Tā de jiàn kāng kāi shǐ zǒu xià pō lù le.His health has started to go downhill.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.