shù shǒu dài sǐdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
hands tied and expecting the worst
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-1cf5c21474a53f34. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

束手待死 束手待死 [shu4 shou3 dai4 si3] /hands tied and expecting the worst/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

  • 束
    shù

    to bind / bunch / bundle / classifier for bunches, bundles, beams of light etc / to control

    Shù

    surname Shu

  • 手
    shǒu

    hand / (formal) to hold / person engaged in certain types of work / person skilled in certain types of work / personal(ly) / convenient / classifier for skill / CL:雙|双[shuāng],隻|只[zhī]

  • 待
    dāi

    to stay / to remain

    dài

    to wait / to treat / to deal with / to need / going to (do sth) / about to / intending to

  • 死
    sǐ

    to die / impassable / uncrossable / inflexible / rigid / extremely / damned

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.