束手
to have one's hands tied / helpless / unable to do anything about it
Example Sentences
他平时喜欢夸夸其谈，但一遇到实际困难就束手无策。
tā píng shí xǐ huān kuā kuā qí tán, dàn yī yù dào shí jì kùn nán jiù shù shǒu wú cè.
He usually likes to talk a lot, but when he encounters practical difficulties, he is helpless.
面对这个突发的疑难软件漏洞，连最有经验的高级系统架构师一时之间也感到束手无策、彻底没辙。
miàn duì zhè ge tū fā de yí nán ruǎn jiàn lòu dòng, lián zuì yǒu jīng yàn de gāo jí xì tǒng jià gòu shī yī shí zhī jiān yě gǎn dào shù shǒu wú cè, chè dǐ méi zhé.
Faced with this sudden and difficult software vulnerability, even the most experienced senior system architects felt helpless and completely helpless.
Save this word to your Smart Flashcards
Master vocabulary with Spaced Repetition (SRS), native pronunciation audio, and active recall practice on HaoHSK.
Related Words & Compounds
lit. to have one's hands bound and be unable to do anything about it (idiom); fig. helpless in the face of a crisis
(lit.) to submit to having one's hands tied and being taken prisoner (idiom) / (fig.) to surrender without a fight
to wait helplessly for death (idiom) / to resign oneself to extinction
(idiom) restricted; constrained; inhibited
hands tied and expecting the worst
hands tied and expecting the worst
see 束手束腳|束手束脚[shu4 shou3 shu4 jiao3]
Complete Chinese Learning & HSK Preparation Directory
Explore all Mandarin Chinese modules from beginner to advanced: Listening, Reading, Vocabulary, Grammar, Characters, and HSK Mock Tests.
