Chinese Idiom: 一筹莫展 (Yi Chou Mo Zhan)
English Translation: No Way Out
pīn yīn: yī chóu mò zhǎn
Idiom Meaning: It refers to being at one’s wit’s end, unable to come up with any solution. “筹” refers to a tally or counter, and in this context, it signifies a plan or strategy; “莫” means not or cannot; and “展” means to exhibit or display.
Historical Source: “Song Shi · Biography of Cai Youxue.”
Idiom Story: During the Southern Song Dynasty, there was a man named Cai Youxue, whose courtesy name was Xingzhi, from Rui’an, Wenzhou. He was a diligent student from a young age and had studied under the renowned scholar Chen Fuliang. Before long, people believed that his knowledge and writing surpassed that of his teacher. During the reign of Emperor Guangzong of Song, he served as an editor. After Emperor Guangzong abdicated, Emperor Ningzong ascended to the throne and issued a decree seeking opinions from his ministers. Cai Youxue wrote a memorial directly addressing state affairs, advising the emperor to accomplish three tasks to be a good ruler: serve his parents dutifully, appoint capable and talented officials, and treat the common people with kindness. He emphasized that the foundation of achieving these tasks was to promote education.
In his memorial, Cai Youxue pointed out that in recent years, people had been creating a negative atmosphere that marginalized good individuals. Some ministers wanted to fully utilize their talents but were deterred by the fear of trouble and potential misfortune, which discouraged them from pursuing their ambitions. Consequently, this led to a situation where, despite having many learned ministers in the court, “many scholars filled the court but not one plan was presented.” This meant that although the court was full of knowledgeable officials, none of them could offer any useful solutions. He warned that if this continued without promoting learning and establishing a good study atmosphere, the situation would not improve.
From this story, the phrase “no one plan was presented” evolved into the idiom “no way out” (一筹莫展), used to describe being completely at a loss for ideas or solutions.
