束手无策
shùshǒuwúcè
to be at one's wits' end; helpless
Characters in this word
手 shǒu
- Strokes
- 4
- Radical
- 手 — hand
- How it's built
- Pictograph — a drawing of the thing
策 cè
- Strokes
- 12
- Radical
- ⺮ — bamboo
- Made of
- ⺮ bamboo 朿 thorn, sting, prickle
- How it's built
- Phono-semantic — one part hints at the meaning, another at the sound
Example phrases
- 面对不断变异的网络骗局，许多老年受害人一度束手无策。 Miànduì búduàn biànyì de wǎngluò piànjú, xǔduō lǎonián shòuhàirén yídù shùshǒuwúcè. Facing constantly changing online scams, many elderly victims were at one point completely helpless.
- 电脑突然坏了，我一个人在家，真是束手无策。 Diànnǎo tūrán huài le, wǒ yí ge rén zài jiā, zhēn shì shùshǒuwúcè. The computer suddenly broke down; I was home alone and truly at a loss.
- 这个问题太复杂了，连老师也一时束手无策。 Zhège wèntí tài fùzá le, lián lǎoshī yě yìshí shùshǒuwúcè. This problem is so complicated that even the teacher was momentarily at a loss.
Related words
- 结束 jiéshù to end; to finish
- 束 shù a bundle; to tie up
- 约束 yuēshù to restrict
- 拘束 jūshù to constrain; constrained; reserved
- 束缚 shùfù to bind; to constrain
- 手 shǒu hand
- 手机 shǒujī mobile phone
- 洗手间 xǐshǒujiān restroom, toilet
- 举手 jǔshǒu to raise a hand
- 手表 shǒubiǎo wristwatch
- 对手 duìshǒu opponent; rival
- 歌手 gēshǒu singer