to be in a desperate situation with no way out; at a dead end; at the end of one's rope
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Antonym:
Story:
The idiom "山穷水尽" (shān qióng shuǐ jìn) originates from a famous poem by Lu You (陆游), a renowned poet of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1179 AD). In 1167, Lu You, who strongly advocated resisting the Jurchen invaders, was dismissed from his official post and returned to his hometown near Jinghu Lake.
One day, while visiting a nearby Shanxi Village, he was inspired to write the poem "A Trip to Shanxi Village." A memorable line from this poem states: "山穷水复疑无路，柳暗花明又一村" (shān qióng shuǐ fù yí wú lù, liǔ àn huā míng yòu yī cūn). This translates to: "When mountains end and waters are blocked, one doubts there is a road ahead; but with willows dark and flowers bright, another village appears."
The first part of this couplet, "山穷水复疑无路" (mountains exhausted, waters ended, one doubts there is no road), vividly describes a scene where one feels completely blocked and without a path forward, leading to a desperate situation.
The idiom "山穷水尽" specifically encapsulates this initial feeling of reaching an impasse, a dead end, where all options seem exhausted and there appears to be no way out, symbolizing a state of utter desperation.