📖 Meaning
Literally to tie one's hands and await death. It describes a situation where someone gives up without resistance or effort when facing difficulty. The idiom criticizes a passive attitude of resigning oneself to failure instead of actively seeking solutions.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase appears in the classical novel 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' (三国演义) by Ming dynasty author Luo Guanzhong. In Chapter 7, when enemy forces press toward the city walls and moat, a character declares that one cannot simply fold one's hands and wait to die. The expression has since become a common metaphor for passively accepting defeat without putting up a fight.
💡 Example Usage
敌军已经兵临城下，我们不能束手待毙，必须立刻组织反击。
The enemy army is at the gates; we cannot just fold our hands and wait to die — we must organize a counterattack immediately.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 束手待毙
- Pinyin: shù shǒu dài bì
- Literal Translation: bind, hand, await, death
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4