不知所措bù zhī suǒ cuònot knowing what to do

1. 1.

   not knowing what to doidiom

Figurative meaning

Not knowing what to do.

• 不not
• 知to know
• 所that which
• 措to handle

No attested origin story

不知所措 often comes at the end of a sentence, after 他 or 我, and it can follow 得 to show how strong a feeling is.

1. HSK 3

   老师突然问他一个问题，他不知所措。

   Lǎoshī tūrán wèn tā yí ge wèntí, tā bù zhī suǒ cuò.

   The teacher suddenly asked him a question, and he didn't know what to do.

2. HSK 4

   第一次考试的时候，我紧张得不知所措。

   Dì-yī cì kǎoshì de shíhou, wǒ jǐnzhāng de bù zhī suǒ cuò.

   During my first exam, I was so nervous that I didn't know what to do.

1. 
   Speaker A:

   今天上课的时候，老师问了你什么？

   Jīntiān shàngkè de shíhou, lǎoshī wènle nǐ shénme?

   What did the teacher ask you in class today?

2. 
   Speaker B:

   她问了我一个很难的问题。

   Tā wènle wǒ yí ge hěn nán de wèntí.

   She asked me a really hard question.

3. 
   Speaker A:

   你回答了吗？

   Nǐ huídá le ma?

   Did you answer it?

4. 
   Speaker B:

   没有，我当时不知所措。

   Méiyǒu, wǒ dāngshí bù zhī suǒ cuò.

   No, I didn't know what to do at that moment.

1. 1.What does 不知所措 mean?

   ANot knowing what to doBVery happy and excitedCWorking very hard
2. 2.Which sentence uses 不知所措 correctly?

   A老师突然问他一个问题，他不知所措。B今天天气很不知所措。C他不知所措地吃了一个苹果。
3. 3.Which word fits best? 第一次考试的时候，我紧张得____。 (During my first exam, I was so nervous that I didn't know what to do.)

   A小心翼翼B不知所措C名副其实

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Related idioms

• 不知不觉bù zhī bù jué(idiom) unconsciously; unwittinglyHSK 7–9
• 众所周知zhòng suǒ zhōu zhī(idiom) as everyone knowsHSK 6
• 不可思议bù kě sī yìinconceivable; unimaginable; unfathomableHSK 7–9
• 不约而同bù yuē ér tóng(idiom) (of two or more people) to take the same action without prior consultation; (usu. used adverbially) all (or both) of them, independently; as if by prior agreementHSK 7–9
• 不言而喻bù yán ér yù(idiom) it goes without saying; it is self-evidentHSK 7–9
• 与众不同yǔ zhòng bù tóng(idiom) to stand out from the crowd; distinctive; different from the restHSK 7–9

Browse every entry in the Chinese idioms dictionary.