山穷水尽 (shān qióng shuǐ jìn) — to be at the end of one's rope; to be in a hopeless situation with no way out

Definition

Idiom for an utterly hopeless situation with no escape: literally 'mountains end, waters run out.' More dramatic and literary than colloquial '走投无路' (no way out).

idiom
to be at the end of one's ropeto be in a hopeless situation with no way out

Examples

  • 山穷水尽，。
    Gōng sī yǐ jīng dào le shān qióng shuǐ jìn de dì bù, zhǐ néng shēn qǐng pò chǎn.
    The company has reached the point of being at the end of its rope and can only apply for bankruptcy.
  • 山穷水尽，。
    Zài shān qióng shuǐ jìn de shí hou, tā dé dào le péng you de bāng zhù.
    At the moment when everything seemed hopeless, he received help from a friend.
  • 山穷水尽，。
    Jí shǐ miàn lín shān qióng shuǐ jìn de jú miàn, tā men yě méi yǒu fàng qì.
    Even when facing a hopeless situation, they didn't give up.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

山穷mountains exhausted
山shānmountain穷qióngexhausted
主谓Subject + predicate
水尽waters ended
水shuǐwater尽jìnended
主谓Subject + predicate

山 and 水 stand for mountains and waters, while 穷 and 尽 say they are used up, so the way is blocked.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

山 shows three mountain peaks side by side.

Open 山 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 窮; 穷 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
穴穴xuécave; nest; confinement
Sound part声符shēngfú
躬
躬gōng窮qióng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 窮, 穴 (cave; nest; confinement) gives the sense and 躬 gives the sound; this is about 窮, not the simplified 穷.

Open 穷 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

水 is a simple drawing of water flowing.

Open 水 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 盡; 尽 is its simplified writing.

  • 聿聿yùhand holding a brush
  • 灬灬huǒbristles
  • 皿皿mǐndish

The traditional form 盡 shows 聿 (hand holding a brush) and 灬 (bristles) over 皿 (dish), cleaning a dish until it is empty. The simplified 尽 is a shorthand, not those historical parts.

Open 尽 →

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