手足无措

手足無措

shǒuzú-wúcuò

idiom #16,979

Meanings

Literally 'hands and feet have nowhere to be placed' - so flustered you don't know what to do with your limbs.

突然停电了，大家手足无措。

Tūrán tíngdiàn le, dàjiā shǒuzú-wúcuò.

The power suddenly went out, and everyone was at a loss.

面对这种情况，她手足无措。

Miànduì zhèzhǒng qíngkuàng, tā shǒuzú-wúcuò.

Facing this situation, she was completely bewildered.

他第一次上台演讲，紧张得手足无措。

Tā dìyī cì shàngtái yǎnjiǎng, jǐnzhāng de shǒuzú-wúcuò.

It was his first time giving a speech on stage, and he was so nervous he didn't know what to do with himself.

usage

Often used with 得 as a complement: 紧张得手足无措 (so nervous that one doesn't know what to do). Similar to 不知所措.

手 shǒu

足 zú

无 wú

措 cuò