手足無措

Chinese

		hands and feet	helpless
trad. (手足無措)		手足	無措
simp. (手足无措)		手足	无措
Literally: “to have no way to move the hands or feet”.

Etymology

From the Analects, Book 13 (《論語·子路》):

名不正，則言不順；言不順，則事不成；事不成，則禮樂不興；禮樂不興，則刑罰不中；刑罰不中，則民無所措手足。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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名不正，则言不顺；言不顺，则事不成；事不成，则礼乐不兴；礼乐不兴，则刑罚不中；刑罚不中，则民无所措手足。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Míng bù zhèng, zé yán bù shùn; yán bù shùn, zé shì bù chéng; shì bù chéng, zé lǐyuè bù xīng; lǐyuè bù xīng, zé xíngfá bù zhòng; xíngfá bù zhòng, zé mín wú suǒ cuò shǒuzú. [Pinyin]

If names be not correct, language is not in accordance with the truth of things. If language be not in accordance with the truth of things, affairs cannot be carried on to success. When affairs cannot be carried on to success, proprieties and music will not flourish. When proprieties and music do not flourish, punishments will not be properly awarded. When punishments are not properly awarded, the people do not know how to move hand or foot.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): shǒuzúwúcuò

  (Zhuyin): ㄕㄡˇ ㄗㄨˊ ㄨˊ ㄘㄨㄛˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sau² zuk¹ mou⁴ cou³

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: shǒuzúwúcuò
    • Zhuyin: ㄕㄡˇ ㄗㄨˊ ㄨˊ ㄘㄨㄛˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: shǒuzúwúcuò
    • Wade–Giles: shou³-tsu²-wu²-tsʻo⁴
    • Yale: shǒu-dzú-wú-tswò
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shooutzwuwutsuoh
    • Palladius: шоуцзууцо (šouczuuco)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡su³⁵ u³⁵ t͡sʰu̯ɔ⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: sau² zuk¹ mou⁴ cou³
    • Yale: sáu jūk mòuh chou
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sau² dzuk⁷ mou⁴ tsou³
    • Guangdong Romanization: seo² zug¹ mou⁴ cou³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɐu̯³⁵ t͡sʊk̚⁵ mou̯²¹ t͡sʰou̯³³/

Idiom

手足無措

1. to be at a loss for what to do