Chinese word

手忙脚乱

Pronunciation

Pinyinshǒu máng jiǎo luàn

Meaning

  • idiombe flustered

Example

妈妈看到孩子摔倒，手忙脚乱地跑过去扶他。mā mā kàn dào hái zi shuāi dǎo shǒu máng jiǎo luàn dì pǎo guò qù fú tā

When Mom sees her child fall, she rushes over in a fluster to help the child up.

Illustration for 手忙脚乱 (be flustered)

More examples

开会时他突然结巴，显得手忙脚乱。kāi huì shí tā tū rán jiē ba xiǎn de shǒu máng jiǎo luàn

During the meeting, he suddenly stammered and appeared flustered.

Core concept

A burst of confused activity when sudden pressure makes actions lose their order.

Common phrases

  • 手忙脚乱地做事shǒu máng jiǎo luàn dì zuò shì

    do things in a fluster

  • 忙得手忙脚乱máng de shǒu máng jiǎo luàn

    be rushed and flustered

  • 显得手忙脚乱xiǎn de shǒu máng jiǎo luàn

    appear flustered

Similar words

慌手慌脚huāng shǒu huāng jiǎo: Move hands and feet restlessly while hurrying in a flustered way.
惊慌失措jīng huāng shī cuò: Become so alarmed that knowing how to respond becomes difficult.
手足无措shǒu zú wú cuò: Be at a loss about what action to take in a confusing situation.
慌里慌张huāng lǐ huāng zhāng: Act in a nervous, hurried, and unsettled way.

Definition in Chinese

表示遇到突发情况或难题时，因慌张而瞬间无法从容应对，手脚乱做、做事杂乱的状态。biǎo shì yù dào tū fā qíng kuàng huò nán tí shí yīn huāng zhāng ér shùn jiān wú fǎ cóng róng yìng duì shóu jiǎo luàn zuò zuò shì zá luàn de zhuàng tài

Word origin

The idiom combines 手 (shǒu, "hand") + 忙 (máng, "busy") + 脚 (jiǎo, "foot") + 乱 (luàn, "disordered") to picture hands and feet moving without calm control.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, the idiom often comes before the action it describes and marks a sudden scramble rather than ordinary busyness or a planned rush.

Other meanings

  • panicidiom
  • be at a lossidiom

Opposites

  • 泰然自若tài rán zì ruòremain calm and composedidiom

Word lists with this word