死路 (sǐ lù) — blind alley, dead end (literal); road to ruin or destruction (figurative)

Definition

Examples

• 前面是一条死路，我们得回头。
  Qián miàn shì yì tiáo sǐ lù, wǒ men dé huí tóu.
  Ahead is a dead end; we have to turn back.
• 再这样下去，公司会走上死路。
  Zài zhè yàng xià qù, gōng sī huì zǒu shàng sǐ lù.
  If this continues, the company will head toward ruin.
• 吸烟是走死路，对健康危害很大。
  Xī yān shì zǒu sǐ lù, duì jiàn kāng wēi hài hěn dà.
  Smoking is a road to destruction; it's very harmful to health.