📖 Meaning
Literally to have one's hands and feet tied up. It describes someone who is timid, overly cautious, and full of misgivings, unable to act freely or boldly.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase appears in Mao Zedong's speech at the Conference of Secretaries of Provincial, Municipal, and Autonomous Region Party Committees held in 1957. In discussing how to handle contradictions and governance, Mao addressed the relationship between acting according to law and showing initiative, stating that acting according to law does not mean tying one's own hands and feet. The expression reflects the tension between following rules and constraints on the one hand and taking bold, decisive action on the other.
💡 Example Usage
面对新规定，他做事束手束脚，什么也不敢尝试。
Faced with the new regulations, he worked with his hands and feet tied, afraid to try anything.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 束手束脚
- Pinyin: shù shǒu shù jiǎo
- Literal Translation: bind hands, bind feet
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4