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束手无策
束手无策
束手无策
束手无策
束手无策
束手无策
束手无策
束手无策
束手无策
束手无策

束手无策 — “To be utterly helpless”

束手无策 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be utterly helpless”. To be at a loss as to what to do; to have one's hands tied and be unable to find a solution. Literally, “bound hands, no strategy”.

Frequency

束手无策 Pronunciation and Pinyin

  • 束shù
  • 手shǒu
  • 无wú
  • 策cè

束手无策 Character Breakdown

CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
束
shù7bind, bundle, restrain
手
shǒu4hand, skill, person, handy
无
wú4without, not having
策
cè12strategy or plan

Example Sentence with 束手无策

面对这个突如其来的难题,大家都感到束手无策。
Facing this sudden difficult problem, everyone felt utterly helpless.

Idioms Related to 束手无策

Synonyms of 束手无策

  • yī一chóu筹mò莫zhǎn展at one's wits' end
  • wú无néng能wéi为lì力powerless to help

Antonyms of 束手无策

  • zuǒ左yòu右féng逢yuán源handle with ease and skill
  • dé得xīn心yìng应shǒu手skillful and smooth in execution
  • jí急zhōng中shēng生zhì智wisdom born of urgency

More idioms starting with 束

  • shù束shàng上qǐ起xià下connect the preceding and the succeeding
  • shù束zhī之gāo高wū屋put aside and neglect
  • shù束zhī之gāo高gé阁lay aside and neglect
  • shù束xiū修zì自hǎo好maintain moral integrity and self-discipline
  • shù束bīng兵mò秣mǎ马prepare for battle or a major undertaking
  • shù束fā发fēng封bó帛woman's unwavering loyalty and fidelity
  • shù束zài在gāo高gé阁to leave unused or neglected
  • shù束bó帛jiā加bì璧extremely valuable gifts
  • shù束dài带jié结fā发assume an official post
  • shù束guǎng广jiù就xiá狭condense broad content into concise form
  • shù束gē戈juàn卷jiǎ甲lay down arms and surrender
  • shù束shǒu手shòu受rèn刃submit to one's fate without resistance

Questions about 束手无策

What does 束手无策 mean?
束手无策 (shù shǒu wú cè) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be utterly helpless”.
How do you pronounce 束手无策?
束手无策 is pronounced shù shǒu wú cè in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 束手无策 literally mean?
Literally, 束手无策 means “bound hands, no strategy”. It is used to mean “to be utterly helpless”.
What is the Chinese definition of 束手无策?
策:办法。遇到问题,就象手被捆住一样,一点办法也没有。
Copy the pinyin for 束手无策 →Choose tone marks or tone numbers and copy the complete four-character reading.Read Chinese vocabulary and idiom guides →Continue with words, phrases, and idioms explained through natural examples.

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