be anxious but helpless; fret helplessly
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesverb
be anxious but helpless; fret helplessly
informalDescribes a state of intense worry or impatience where one is unable to take effective action. Often used in spoken language. Variant form: '干着急 (gān zháo jí)'.
Hái孩
zi子
gāo高
shāo烧
bù不
tuì退
，
tā她
zài在
páng旁
biān边
gān干
jí急
，
yī一
diǎn点
bàn办
fǎ法
dōu都
méi没
yǒu有
。
The child's high fever wouldn't go down, and she stood by anxiously, completely helpless.
Kàn看
zhe着
duì队
yǒu友
shī失
wù误
diū丢
fēn分
，
tā他
zài在
chǎng场
xià下
zhǐ只
néng能
gān干
jí急
。
Watching his teammate make a mistake and lose points, he could only fret helplessly from the sidelines.
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Jiāo交
tōng通
dà大
dǔ堵
sè塞
，
dà大
jiā家
dǔ堵
zài在
chē车
lǐ里
gān干
zháo着
jí急
。
In a massive traffic jam, everyone was stuck in their cars, anxious but helpless.