一筹莫展 (yì chóu mò zhǎn): to be unable to find a solution; to be at wits' end

Meaning & Stroke Order

HSK 7

Word info

Pinyin
Meaning: to be unable to find a solution; to be at wits' end
Characters: 4
HSK level: HSK 7

Full definitions

to be unable to find a solution
to be at wits end

Chinese explanation

一点办法也想不出来，形容遇到困难时完全不知道该怎么办。

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Character breakdown

HSK 1

one

HSK 7

chip (in gambling)

Meaning unavailable yet.

HSK 5

to spread out; to unfold

Missing character meanings

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Example sentences

The company suddenly lost its biggest client and its cash flow was cut off; management was at a loss, and after three days of meetings they still couldn't come up with a solution.

Their child's high fever wouldn't go away, and all nearby hospitals were full. The young parents were at their wits' end and had no choice but to drive to a neighboring city late at night to seek medical help.

All his thesis data was lost and the hard drive was broken. He sat in front of the computer at a loss, not knowing how to explain it to his advisor.

Seeing that the flood was about to overflow the dam, the villagers were at a loss. Just then, an old man remembered there was an abandoned spillway on the mountain.

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