parting of the ways; road after parting; way to the underworld
Literary and somewhat archaic. Refers to the crossroads where people part, the separate paths they take, or metaphorically the way to the land of the dead. Often used in classical poetry and prose.
Standing at the parting of the ways, the two gazed at each other without words.
In old poems, there are verses that sing of the parting road as the path to the underworld.
Compound of 別れ (wakare, 'parting') and 路 (ji, 'road, path'). The reading じ is a voiced form of ち (chi), common in older compounds. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word appears in classical Japanese literature.