CHENGYU
不知所措(bù zhī suǒ cuò)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- neutral
- Source:
- 《论语·子路》
MEANING
- Literal
- not to know where to put one's hands
- Figurative meaning
- at a loss; not knowing what to do
ORIGIN STORY
Confucius said a good ruler leaves the people "with no place to put their hands and feet" — that is, never helpless before the law. In the Records of the Three Kingdoms, the phrase became helplessness itself: "not knowing what to do with his hands."
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to be at a loss”
EXAMPLES
突然发生这么多事，他有点不知所措。Tūrán fāshēng zhème duō shì, tā yǒudiǎn bù zhī suǒ cuò.HSK6
With so much happening at once, he was at a loss.
第一次上台演讲，我紧张得不知所措。Dì yī cì shàngtái yǎnjiǎng, wǒ jǐnzhāng de bù zhī suǒ cuò.HSK6
Speaking on stage for the first time, I was too nervous to know what to do.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: Note the reading: 措 is cuò. It is being at a loss — not sadness or fear alone.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
Tap a character to explore it
TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01