expression
there is no hope; unavoidable; cannot be helped
Archaic or literary expression meaning a situation is hopeless or unavoidable. The kanji 万 is a rare ateji for ばん, and the phrase is essentially a variant of 止むを得ず (やむをえず).
「万止むを得ず」という表記は、古い文献で見られることがある。
The spelling 万止むを得ず can be found in old texts.