**分类比较：end of the line vs. end of the road**
**1. 语义侧重**
- **end of the line**：更强调“进程、流程或生命周期的终点”，常用于比喻“事情发展到无法继续的地步”，隐含“至此为止，再无后续”。
- **end of the road**：更强调“旅途、计划或努力的尽头”，隐含“已经走投无路，无法再前进”，带有更强烈的“失败或终结”色彩。
**2. 使用语境**
- **end of the line**：
- 可用于时间线或逻辑链的终点（如“This is the end of the line for this project”）。
- 也可指实际运输线路的终点站（如地铁终点），但比喻用法更常见。
- **end of the road**：
- 几乎只用于比喻，指“奋斗、关系、事业或冒险的终点”，常与“reach/met/come to”搭配。
- 语气更庄重或伤感，如“We’ve reached the end of the road in this negotiation”。
**3. 情感色调**
- **end of the line**：中性偏客观，可表示“自然结束”或“机械性终止”，未必带悲情。
- **end of the road**：偏向消极、无奈，隐含“努力已尽，必须接受失败”的宿命感。
**4. 与“穷途末路”的对应程度**
- **穷途末路**的核心语义是“走投无路，境况极端困窘”，两者均可译，但：
- **end of the road** 更贴近“穷途”（路途终结）和“末路”（无路可走）的字面意象，对应度更高。
- **end of the line** 侧重“流程终结”，若指“计划失败”尚可，但若指“生存绝境”，则不如前者贴切。
**5. 短语固定性**
- **end of the line**：常作表语或独立词组，搭配较灵活（如“at the end of the line”）。
- **end of the road**：更多与“come to”连用，构成固定结构“come to the end of the road”，且常省略定冠词（如“end of road”在英式俚语中指“死亡”）。
**总结**
- 若强调“过程终止”，选 **end of the line**。
- 若强调“穷途末路的困境”，选 **end of the road** 更精准。
- 两者在多数语境下可互换，但语气与侧重有细微差别。
词组
live end of the line
游动钢丝绳的活端
属类：工程技术-石油-
end of the road; end of the line
最终结局
属类：化学及生命科学-化学-
Telephone is an important tool of the international business, yet only few people have thought how to use it appropriately, and how the person on the other end of the line would react to one’s behaviour in a phone call.
"How in the world did you ever find my number?" I asked, fairly stunned at these revelations from this friendly stranger on the end of the line .
“你是怎么知道我的电话号码的?”我问道,对电话那端的友好陌生人所吐露的一切,我感到相当震惊。
属类：文学表达-文学-散文
The class walked down the long hallway to the gym with Mr. E1 at the end of the line . He opened the door to the faculty room as he watched the last child in line disappear into the gym. Miss Joan was the only person in the room.
I waited a few minutes and then the supervisor was back on the line. "I have a party who will speak with you. “ I asked the woman on the other end of the line if she knew anyone by the name of Hannah.
It 's the president on the other end of the line !
那边是董事长!
属类：口语表达-未分类
However, it ended at the French-Belgian frontier, which German forces crossed in May 1940. They invaded Belgium (May 10), crossed the Somme River, struck at the northern end of the line (May 12), and continued around to its rear, making it useless
It's sad that they got divorced but they had reached the end of the line together.
他们离婚令人难过,但双方已达到无法容忍的地步了.
属类：综合句库-典型例句
Fredie was speaking on the other end of the line .
弗雷迪正在另一头接电话。
属类：综合句库-
But when he heard Mo Kan-cheng humming and hawing like an imbecile at the other end of the line , Wu Sun-fu suddenly changed his mind and rasped sternly at him instead
但在接通了线而且听得莫干丞的畏缩吞吐的语音时,吴荪甫蓦地又变了卦;他反而严厉地训令道
属类：综合句库-
Disregarding the bewildered twittering from the other end of the line , he hung up and turned a smiling face to Dr. Ting
他再不理睬听筒中那吱吱的声音,一手挂上了,就转脸看着丁医生微微笑着说
属类：综合句库-
I asked the woman on the other end of the line if she knew anyone by the name of hannah
我问电话另一端的女士,她是否认识一个叫汉娜的人。
属类：综合句库-
I'll get off at the end of the line .
我要在终点站下车。
属类：综合句库-
and out to the side of Ekron to the north: then it is marked out to Shikkeron and on to Mount Baalah, ending at Jabneel; the end of the line is at the sea.
通到以革伦北边,延到施基仑,接连到巴拉山。又通到雅比聂,直通到海为止。
属类：经籍句库-Jos-15.11
The End of the Line -An Interpretation of Le Tartuffe form the Perspective of Post-Structuralism Narratology
线条的末尾-《伪君子》的解构主义叙事理论解读
属类：行业术语-中文论文标题
The percent shunt compensation of EHV lines in service ranges from 0% to 90% with the reactors located in the substations at one or both ends of the line.
超高压线路并联补偿的范围从0%到90%,变电站中电抗器接在线路的一端或两端。
属类：工程技术-电力英语
The errors I am talking about include unidiomatic English, grammatical blunders, misspellings and improper word division at the end of the lines
我在此处所谈及的英文错误包括不通顺、语法错误、拼写错误以及行尾不正确的断字回行。
属类：综合句库-
He was the shortest one and stood at the end of the line .
他个子最小,站队排在末尾。
属类：综合句库-
英语成语:(reach) the end of the line/road
1.(to reach) the point at which something can no longer continue in the same way
（达到）某事物无法再以同样方式继续的临界点
A defeat in the second round marked the end of the line for last year’s champion.
在第二轮失利后，去年的冠军就此走到了终点。
A defeat in the second round marked the end of the line for last year’s champion.
英语成语:(reach) the end of the line/road
A defeat in the second round marked the end of the line for last year’s champion.
