The word 出路 is formed by combining two characters: 出 (chū), meaning "to go out" or "exit", and 路 (lù), meaning "road" or "path". Literally, it creates the image of "a road that leads out", visually depicting a passage from an enclosed or difficult situation to the open beyond. This concrete spatial concept is then applied metaphorically to mean a "way out", such as a solution to a problem or an opportunity for development, where the physical path becomes a figurative course of action leading to improvement or escape.