Chinese word dictionary

走投无路

zǒutóu-wúlù · to be at an impasse (idiom); in a tight spot; at the end of one's rope; desperate

Practice word

Word information

Simplified走投无路

Traditional走投無路

Pinyinzǒutóu-wúlù

Part of speechGeneral

HSK 3.07-9

HSK 2.0Not listed

Character breakdown

Study each Hanzi separately, then return to the complete word so pronunciation, meaning, and movement stay connected.

走zǒu

to walk, to run, to flee

投tóu

to pitch, to throw; to bid, to invest

无wú

no, not; lacking, -less

路lù

road, path, street; journey

How to learn 走投无路

Listen once without reading, repeat the pinyin with its tones, then write every character in sequence. Finally, recall the complete meaning instead of memorizing each character as an isolated translation.

When the word appears in a sentence, check whether its part of speech and meaning match the definition shown here. Chinese words can change nuance with context.

Related vocabulary

Words with the same characters

Compare how a familiar Hanzi changes meaning inside another word.

路lù

road (CL:條|条[tiao2]); journey; route; line (bus etc); sort; kind; surname Lu

路上lùshang

on the road; on the way; en route

走zǒu

to walk; to go; to run; to move (of vehicle); to visit; to leave; to go away; to die (euph.); from; through; away (in compound verbs, such as 撤走[che4 zou3]); to change (shape, form, meaning)

走路zǒulù

to walk; to go on foot; to leave; to depart; (informal) to clear off; to beat it; (of sb who gets fired or resigns) to leave the job; to get out

路边lùbiān

curb; roadside; wayside

路口lùkǒu

crossing; intersection (of roads)