束手无策 (shù shǒu-wú cè) — (idiom) helpless; at one's wit's end; unable to do anything about a situation
Definition
Literally 'hands bound, no plan' — used for being utterly helpless before a problem. Stronger than 无奈 (merely having no choice); close to 一筹莫展, which focuses on having no idea what to try.
idiom
helplessat one's wit's endunable to do anything about a situation
Examples
- ，束手无策。Miàn duì zhè ge nán tí, tā shù shǒu-wú cè.Faced with this difficult problem, he was helpless.
- ，束手无策。Duì yú zhè zhǒng jí bìng, yī shēng men yě shù shǒu-wú cè.For this disease, doctors were also at a loss.
- 束手无策，。Tā shù shǒu-wú cè, bù zhī dào gāi zěn me bàn.He was helpless and didn't know what to do.
Appears in
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