Definition

Noun: * A path or road leading to death; a fatal route. This word literally means "death road" and describes a path, course of action, or situation that is extremely dangerous and will almost certainly lead to death, destruction, or ruin. It is an archaic or literary term.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Con đường núi cheo leo ấy là một tử lộ. (That treacherous mountain road is a deadly route.)
  • Hành động liều lĩnh đó chẳng khác nào tự chọn tử lộ. (That reckless action is no different from choosing a path to death.)
  • Trong chiến tranh, nhiều người lính đã phải bước vào tử lộ. (During the war, many soldiers had to step onto the road of death.)

Advanced Usage

• "tử lộ" as a metaphor: The term is often used metaphorically to describe a hopeless situation, a failing strategy, or a business venture doomed to collapse.
  • Công ty tiếp tục đầu tư vào dự án thua lỗ, đó là một tử lộ. (The company continues to invest in the loss-making project; it is a road to ruin.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tuyệt lộ (n): A road to ruin; a dead end with no way out. This is a close synonym, emphasizing a hopeless situation.
• Sinh lộ (n): The road/path to life; a way out. This is the conceptual opposite of "tử lộ".

Synonyms

• Đường chết: (lit. death road) A more modern and direct synonym.
• Lối thoát hiểm: (lit. emergency exit) While this means "escape route," its absence implies a "tử lộ."
• Ngõ cụt: Dead end (often used figuratively for a situation with no progress).

Related Idioms

• Bước vào tử lộ / Đi vào tử lộ: To enter/walk onto the road of death; to embark on a course leading to certain disaster.
  • Từ chối lời đề nghị hòa giải, hắn đã tự mình bước vào tử lộ. (By rejecting the reconciliation offer, he walked onto the road of death himself.)

noun

1. dead route