弹尽粮绝 (dàn jìn liáng jué) — to be in a desperate situation with all resources exhausted; to have one's back against the wall

Definition

Examples

• 公司资金周转不开，已经到了弹尽粮绝的地步。
  Gōng sī zī jīn zhōu zhuǎn bù kāi, yǐ jīng dào le dàn jìn liáng jué de dì bù.
  The company's cash flow has stalled, and it's reached a point where all resources are exhausted.
• 谈判陷入僵局，双方都弹尽粮绝，谁也不肯让步。
  Tán pàn xiàn rù jiāng jú, shuāng fāng dōu dàn jìn liáng jué, shuí yě bù kěn ràng bù.
  The negotiations reached a deadlock; both sides had exhausted all options and neither would concede.
• 他为了还债四处借钱，最后弹尽粮绝，只能宣布破产。
  Tā wèi le huán zhài sì chù jiè qián, zuì hòu dàn jìn liáng jué, zhǐ néng xuān bù pò chǎn.
  He borrowed money everywhere to pay off debts, but in the end he had exhausted every resource and had to declare bankruptcy.