have no way out; be in an impasse; be driven to desperation; be at one's wits' end
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Story:
The idiom "走投无路" originates from the Yuan Dynasty drama "Xiao Xiang Yu" (《潇湘雨》, "Rain in the Xiao and Xiang Rivers"). The play tells the story of Cui Tong, a scholar who, after becoming the top scholar (Zhuangyuan), cruelly abandoned his former wife, Zhang Cuiluan, and married the daughter of a high-ranking official.
Zhang Cuiluan embarked on an arduous journey to find her husband. When she finally reached Cui Tong's official residence, instead of acknowledging her, Cui Tong falsely accused her of being a runaway servant, had her sentenced, and ordered her exile to Shamen Island, secretly planning to have her killed during the journey.
One night, while staying at the Linjiang Posthouse, Zhang Cuiluan wept bitterly over her plight. Her cries were overheard by a high-ranking official, Zhang Tianjue, who happened to be her father, whom she had been separated from for many years. Recognizing his daughter's voice, Zhang Tianjue, now a powerful anti-corruption commissioner, discovered the truth and rectified the injustice.
In the play, Zhang Cuiluan lamented her desperate situation with the line, "The rain drenches me, leaving me no way out; who knows what kind of hell Shamen Island is?" This vividly described her feeling of being utterly without recourse.