慌张失措 flustered and at a loss
Explanation
形容非常慌张，不知所措的样子。
Describes a state of great panic and helplessness.
Origin Story
话说唐朝时期，一位名叫李白的诗人，正准备参加一场重要的诗会。他精心准备了一首诗，然而就在前往诗会的路上，他突然遭遇了山洪爆发。山洪汹涌澎湃，瞬间将他冲散，弄丢了他携带的诗稿。李白顿时慌张失措，衣衫褴褛，狼狈不堪。他拼命挣扎，想要抓住什么东西，却徒劳无功。洪水逐渐退去，他最终逃出生天，但诗稿却无影无踪。这次经历让他深深体会到，面对突如其来的灾难，保持冷静和沉着应对的重要性。尽管诗稿遗失，李白并没有气馁，而是重新创作，最终在诗会上获得了极高的评价。
In the Tang Dynasty, a poet named Li Bai was preparing for an important poetry event. He had carefully prepared a poem, but on his way to the event, he suddenly encountered a flash flood. The flood was overwhelming and instantly swept him away, losing the manuscript he carried. Li Bai was immediately panicked, his clothes torn, and his appearance miserable. He struggled desperately to grab onto something, but to no avail. When the floodwaters receded, he finally survived, but the manuscript was nowhere to be found. This experience taught him the importance of maintaining calm and composure when facing sudden disasters. Although the manuscript was lost, Li Bai did not give up but recreated the poem, ultimately receiving high praise at the poetry event.
Usage
通常作谓语、状语。
Usually used as a predicate or adverbial.
Examples
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听到这个噩耗，他慌张失措，不知所措。
tīngdào zhège èghào, tā huāngzhāngshīcuò, bùzhīsuǒcuò
Hearing the bad news, he was flustered and didn't know what to do.
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突如其来的地震，让城市居民慌张失措。
tū rú lái de dìzhèn, ràng chéngshì jūmín huāngzhāngshīcuò
The sudden earthquake caused the city's residents to panic.
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面对突发事件，我们不能慌张失措，要保持冷静。
miànduì tūfā shìjiàn, wǒmen bùnéng huāngzhāngshīcuò, yào bǎochí língjìng
In the face of emergencies, we should not panic but remain calm.