Definition
死胡同 literally means 'dead-end alley' — a street with no exit. But in everyday Chinese it's far more common as a metaphor for any situation that has no future or no way out, like a failed plan, a career dead end, or a negotiation that can't move forward. You can use it both literally (physical alley) and figuratively (hopeless situation).
n.
blind alleydead-end street(figurative) dead endimpassehopeless situation
Examples
- 死胡同，。Zhè tiáo lù shì ge sǐ hú tòng, kāi bú jìnqù.This road is a dead end — you can't drive in.
- ，死胡同。Zài zhèyàng xiàqù, wǒmen de xiàngmù huì zǒujìn sǐ hú tòng.If we keep going like this, our project will hit a dead end.
- 死胡同。Tā juéde zìjǐ de rénshēng yǐjīng zǒujìn le sǐ hú tòng.He feels his life has reached a dead end.
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