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末路 (mò lù) — dead end (literal or figurative); desperate situation, impasse

Definition

末路 (mòlù) means 'dead end / final ruin' — used for situations, careers, or regimes that have reached a hopeless, irreversible collapse. It emphasizes that no path forward remains, unlike a mere 困境 (hardship).

noun
dead end (literal or figurative)desperate situationimpasse

Examples

  • 末路，。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī yǐ jīng zǒu dào mò lù le, hěn nán zài fān shēn.
    This company has hit a dead end and is unlikely to turn around.
  • 末路，。
    Dāng nián tā xiàn rù mò lù, què yì wài zhuā zhù le yī xiàn shēng jī.
    Back then he was trapped in a desperate situation, but unexpectedly found a glimmer of hope.
  • ，末路。
    Lì shǐ gào sù wǒ men, bào zhèng zhōng jiāng zǒu shàng mò lù.
    History tells us that tyranny will eventually come to an end.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

末mòend
路lùroad

末 (end) and 路 (road) combine to mean a road that ends, a dead end.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

末 adds a mark at the top of a tree-like shape to show its tip or end.

Open 末 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
足足zú
Sound part声符shēngfú
各
各gè路lù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

路 combines 足, a foot, with 各, which supplies the sound.

Open 路 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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