hết đường
Definition
- Phrase:
- To have no way out, to be at a dead end, to be cornered: This phrase describes a situation where all options, solutions, or escape routes have been exhausted, leaving one in a difficult position with no apparent way forward.
- To be out of options, to have no recourse: It indicates a state of being completely stuck, with no remaining methods or strategies available.
Usage Examples
- Phrase:
- Công ty phá sản, giờ tôi thật sự hết đường rồi. (The company went bankrupt, now I'm truly out of options.)
- Hắn đã hết đường chạy trốn khi cảnh sát bao vây ngôi nhà. (He had no way to escape when the police surrounded the house.)
- Tôi đã thử mọi cách, giờ thì hết đường rồi. (I've tried every way, now I'm at a dead end.)
Advanced Usage
- "hết đường lui": to have no way back, to be past the point of no return.
- Chúng ta đã đi quá xa, hết đường lui rồi. (We've gone too far, there's no turning back now.)
- "hết đường sinh": (literary/dramatic) to have no way to survive, to be doomed.
- Trong tình thế ấy, hắn biết mình đã hết đường sinh. (In that situation, he knew he was doomed.)
Variants and Related Words
- Đường cùng (n): dead end, impasse. Often used in the phrase bước đường cùng (the final, desperate path).
- Anh ta đã bị dồn đến bước đường cùng. (He was driven to a dead end.)
- Bế tắc (adj): deadlocked, stalemated, at an impasse.
- Cuộc đàm phán đang rơi vào thế bế tắc. (The negotiations have reached a stalemate.)
- Cùng đường (adj): at the end of the road, in a hopeless situation.
- Kẻ phạm tội cảm thấy mình đã cùng đường. (The criminal felt he was at the end of his rope.)
Synonyms
- Không còn lối thoát: to have no way out.
- Bị dồn vào chân tường: to be backed into a corner (literally: to be driven against a wall).
- Tuyệt lộ: (more formal/literary) to have the path cut off, to be in a hopeless situation.
Related Phrases
- Hết cách: to have no method left, to be out of ideas. (Focuses more on lacking methods rather than physical paths).
- Tôi đã hết cách giúp anh ấy. (I've run out of ways to help him.)
- Hết hơi: (colloquial) to be exhausted, to be at one's wit's end. (Can be used in similar contexts of desperation).
- Làm việc này tôi hết hơi rồi. (I'm exhausted from doing this work.)
Related Idioms
- Đến đường cùng: to reach a dead end.
- Mọi sự đã đến đường cùng. (Everything has reached a dead end.)
- Tiến thoái lưỡng nan: to be caught in a dilemma, between a rock and a hard place (literally: advancing and retreating are both difficult).
- Anh ấy đang trong tình thế tiến thoái lưỡng nan. (He is in a situation where he's caught between a rock and a hard place.)