束手无策

Traditional form:

束手無策

Pinyin (reading):

shùshǒuwúcè

Definitions:

• lit. to have one's hands bound and be unable to do anything about it (idiom); fig. helpless in the face of a crisis

Characters:

• 束 - to bind, to control, to restrain; bale
• 手 - hand
• 无 - no, not; lacking, -less
• 策 - to urge, to whip; method, plan, policy

Traditional characters:

• 束 - to bind, to control, to restrain; bale
• 手 - hand
• 無 - no, not; lacking, -less
• 策 - to urge, to whip; method, plan, policy