不知所措

Pronunciation: bù zhī suǒ cuò Literal meaning: Not knowing where to put oneself

Origin & Usage

Not (不) knowing (知) where (所) to put (措) oneself. The fuller form behind it is in the Analects — 无所措手足, no place to put hand or foot — and that bodily image is the right one: this is not indecision about a course of action but the more basic loss of knowing how to stand, or what to do with one's face. Chinese uses it of somebody hit by news they had no script for, and of the junior person in a room where something has just gone badly wrong. It names a state rather than a failing, and carries no blame.

Examples

English: "Faced with the sudden crisis, the team was at a loss."

Chinese: 面对突如其来的危机，团队不知所措。