cuò措arrangeshǒu手handbù不notjí及reach
To be caught off guard; to be taken by surprise.
Literal meaning
arrange (措) — hand (手) — not (不) — reach (及)
Origin
A classical four-character phrase describing a state of unpreparedness.
Examples
Tūfā shìjiàn ràng tā cuòshǒu-bùjí.突发事件让他措手不及。
The sudden event caught him off guard.
Miàn duì zhège wèntí, wǒ yǒudiǎn cuòshǒu-bùjí.面对这个问题，我有点措手不及。
I was a little caught off guard by this problem.
Usage & nuances
Describes a situation where one is unprepared to react.
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