山穷水尽 — “To be in a desperate situation with no way out”
山穷水尽 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be in a desperate situation with no way out”. At a dead end; at the end of one's rope. Literally, “mountains exhausted, waters ended”.
山穷水尽 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 山shān
- 穷qióng
- 水shuǐ
- 尽jìn
山穷水尽 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 山穷水尽
Origin and Story of 山穷水尽
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.
Idioms Related to 山穷水尽
Antonyms of 山穷水尽
More idioms starting with 山
- shān山shàng上wú无lǎo老hǔ虎，，hóu猴zi子chēng称dà大wáng王When the cat's away, the mice will play
- shān山bù不zhuàn转shuǐ水zhuàn转circumstances change, we'll meet again
- shān山bù不zhuàn转lù路zhuàn转circumstances change, find another way
- shān山zhōng中zǎi宰xiàng相reclusive sage offering wise counsel
- shān山kuī亏yī一kuì篑fail for want of a final effort
- shān山guāng光shuǐ水sè色picturesque mountain and river scenery
- shān山gōng公dǎo倒zǎi载dead drunk and sprawled backward
- shān山bāo包hǎi海róng容magnanimous and broad-minded
- shān山bāo包hǎi海huì汇encompass everything
- shān山nán南hǎi海běi北Far and wide
- shān山chī吃hǎi海hē喝eat and drink excessively
- shān山yín吟zé泽chàng唱Folk songs and ballads
Questions about 山穷水尽
- What does 山穷水尽 mean?
- 山穷水尽 (shān qióng shuǐ jìn) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be in a desperate situation with no way out”.
- How do you pronounce 山穷水尽?
- 山穷水尽 is pronounced shān qióng shuǐ jìn in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 山穷水尽 literally mean?
- Literally, 山穷水尽 means “mountains exhausted, waters ended”. It is used to mean “to be in a desperate situation with no way out”.
- Where does 山穷水尽 come from?
- 山穷水尽 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 山穷水尽?
- 山和水都到了尽头。比喻无路可走陷入绝境。