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.]
- 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.
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.]
Pronunciation
- Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Hanyu Pinyin:
- 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/
- (Standard Chinese)+
Idiom
(deprecated template usage) 無所措手足
Synonyms
Categories:
- Literary Chinese terms with quotations
- Chinese lemmas
- Mandarin lemmas
- Chinese idioms
- Mandarin idioms
- Chinese chengyu
- Mandarin chengyu
- Chinese terms with IPA pronunciation
- Chinese terms spelled with 無
- Chinese terms spelled with 所
- Chinese terms spelled with 措
- Chinese terms spelled with 手
- Chinese terms spelled with 足