無所措手足

Chinese

	not have	actually; place; (nominalization prefix)	put in order; arrange; administer put in order; arrange; administer; execute; take action on	hands and feet
trad. (無所措手足)	無	所	措	手足
simp. (无所措手足)	无	所	措	手足
alternative forms	無所錯手足／无所错手足
Literally: “don't know how to move hand or foot”.

Etymology

From the Analects:

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.]

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): wú suǒ cuò shǒu zú

(Zhuyin): ㄨˊ ㄙㄨㄛˇ ㄘㄨㄛˋ ㄕㄡˇ ㄗㄨˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): mou⁴ so² cou³ sau² zuk¹

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: wú suǒ cuò shǒu zú
  - Zhuyin: ㄨˊ ㄙㄨㄛˇ ㄘㄨㄛˋ ㄕㄡˇ ㄗㄨˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: wú suǒ cuò shǒu zú
  - Wade–Giles: wu² so³ tsʻo⁴ shou³ tsu²
  - Yale: wú swǒ tswò shǒu dzú
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: wu suoo tsuoh shoou tzwu
  - Palladius: у со цо шоу цзу (u so co šou czu)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /u³⁵ su̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰu̯ɔ⁵¹ ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡su³⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: mou⁴ so² cou³ sau² zuk¹
  - Yale: mòuh só chou sáu jūk
  - Cantonese Pinyin: mou⁴ so² tsou³ sau² dzuk⁷
  - Guangdong Romanization: mou⁴ so² cou³ seo² zug¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /mou̯²¹ sɔː³⁵ t͡sʰou̯³³ sɐu̯³⁵ t͡sʊk̚⁵/

Idiom

無所措手足

to be at a loss as to what to do

Synonyms

無所措手／无所措手 (wúsuǒcuòshǒu)