What does 无计可施 mean?

无计可施 (wú jì kě shī) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be at one's wits' end”.

How do you pronounce 无计可施?

无计可施 is pronounced wú jì kě shī in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 无计可施 literally mean?

Literally, 无计可施 means “no strategy to apply”. It is used to mean “to be at one's wits' end”.

Where does 无计可施 come from?

无计可施 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 无计可施?

计：策略、办法；施：施展。没有办法可用。

无计可施 — “To be at one's wits' end”

无计可施 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be at one's wits' end”. To have no alternative; to be at a loss for what to do. Literally, “no strategy to apply”.

Frequency

无计可施 Pronunciation and Pinyin

无wú
计jì
可kě
施shī

无计可施 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
无	wú	4	without, not having
计	jì	4	calculate, plan, or measure
可	kě	5	can, may, suitable
施	shī	9	carry out, implement, or apply

Example Sentence with 无计可施

面对突如其来的困境，他感到无计可施

Faced with the sudden predicament, he felt utterly helpless and at a loss for what to do.

Origin and Story of 无计可施

Towards the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Dong Zhuo led his army into Luoyang, deposed the young Emperor Shao, and installed Emperor Xian, Liu Xie. Though Cao Cao and Yuan Shao raised armies against him, Dong Zhuo abducted Emperor Xian to Chang'an and appointed himself Grand Tutor, seizing absolute power.

Dong Zhuo's cruelty and authoritarian rule caused deep dissatisfaction among the court's civil and military officials. However, despite their grievances, they found themselves at their wits' end, unable to devise any effective plan to challenge or remove him.

It was then that Situ (Minister of Education) Wang Yun devised a strategy: he first promised his beautiful maid Diao Chan to Lü Bu, Dong Zhuo's formidable adopted son, and then secretly presented her to Dong Zhuo himself. By using Diao Chan to sow discord between Dong Zhuo and Lü Bu, Wang Yun successfully incited Lü Bu to kill Dong Zhuo, thus eliminating the tyrant.

Idioms Related to 无计可施

Synonyms of 无计可施

Antonyms of 无计可施

More idioms starting with 无

Questions about 无计可施

What does 无计可施 mean?: 无计可施 (wú jì kě shī) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be at one's wits' end”.
How do you pronounce 无计可施?: 无计可施 is pronounced wú jì kě shī in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 无计可施 literally mean?: Literally, 无计可施 means “no strategy to apply”. It is used to mean “to be at one's wits' end”.
Where does 无计可施 come from?: 无计可施 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 无计可施?: 计：策略、办法；施：施展。没有办法可用。

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