Word information
Simplified束手无策
Traditional束手無策
Pinyinshùshǒu-wúcè
Part of speechGeneral
HSK 3.07-9
HSK 2.0Not listed
Chinese word dictionary
束手无策
shùshǒu-wúcè · lit. to have one's hands bound and be unable to do anything about it (idiom); fig. helpless in the face of a crisis
Character breakdown
Study each Hanzi separately, then return to the complete word so pronunciation, meaning, and movement stay connected.
How to learn 束手无策
Listen once without reading, repeat the pinyin with its tones, then write every character in sequence. Finally, recall the complete meaning instead of memorizing each character as an isolated translation.
When the word appears in a sentence, check whether its part of speech and meaning match the definition shown here. Chinese words can change nuance with context.
Related vocabulary
Words with the same characters
Compare how a familiar Hanzi changes meaning inside another word.
手机shǒujī
cell phone; mobile phone; CL:部[bu4],臺|台[tai2]
手shǒuhand; (formal) to hold; person engaged in certain types of work; person skilled in certain types of work; personal(ly); convenient; classifier for skill; CL:雙|双[shuang1],隻|只[zhi1]
手表shǒubiǎowristwatch; CL:塊|块[kuai4],隻|只[zhi1],個|个[ge4]
洗手间xǐshǒujiāntoilet; lavatory; washroom
结束jiéshùtermination; to finish; to end; to conclude; to close
歌手gēshǒusinger