Definition & Meaning

be at one's wits' end; at a loss what to do

Word usage

yī chóu mò zhǎn

一 筹 莫 展

Level:

IP L5 NHSK 789－3

ReadWriteQuiz

Chinese dictionary
Show pinyinHide pinyin

derogbe at one's wits' end; at a loss what to do
- duì yú rú hé yìng duì bào lì wèn tí zhèng fǔ xiàn zài yī chóu mò zhǎn
  对于如何应对暴力问题，政府现在一筹莫展。
  The government is at a loss to know how to tackle the violence.
- zhè xiē tǒng jì shù zì lìng wǒ yī chóu mò zhǎn
  这些统计数字令我一筹莫展。
  I am getting absolutely nowhere with these statistics.
- tā shēn zài máng máng huāng yě zhōng yī chóu mò zhǎn
  他身在茫茫荒野中，一筹莫展。
  He was stranded in the middle of nowhere.
synonym
shǒu zú wú cuò手足无措 jì wú suǒ chū计无所出

Word usage

Note
1. "一筹莫展" is mostly used to describe the mentality of a person in trouble; 2. "一筹莫展" is used with verbs such as "感到" and "觉得".

Hot words today