📖 Meaning
This idiom describes a situation where one has reached a complete dead end with no way forward. It metaphorically means all resources and options are exhausted, leaving one in an absolutely desperate position. It is a variant of the more common idiom 山穷水尽.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom is a variant of the widely used 山穷水尽. The original expression traces back to the Song dynasty, when poet Lu You (陆游) wrote the famous line '山重水复疑无路, 柳暗花明又一村' depicting mountains and streams seemingly blocking all paths. Over time the phrasing evolved into 山穷水尽, meaning the mountains are exhausted and the water runs dry. The variant 山穷水绝 replaces 尽 (exhausted) with 绝 (severed or cut off), intensifying the sense of being completely trapped with no escape.
💡 Example Usage
敌人已到山穷水绝的地步，投降只是时间问题。
The enemy had reached a point of utter desperation; surrender was only a matter of time.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 山穷水绝
- Pinyin: shān qióng shuǐ jué
- Literal Translation: mountain, exhausted, water, cut off
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4