A1 Idiom 中性 1分钟阅读

手を焼く

te o yaku

Have trouble with/Be at a loss

开始练习

Phrase in 30 Seconds

Use {手を焼く|てをやく} when you are struggling to manage a difficult person or a persistent problem.

  • Means: To be troubled by someone or something that is hard to handle.
  • Used in: Describing unruly children, difficult coworkers, or complex technical bugs.
  • Don't confuse: It is not about physical burns; it is purely figurative.
Person + Fire + Hands = Frustration

适合你水平的解释：

This phrase means you are having a hard time with someone or something. You use it when a person or a job is very difficult to control.
Use '手を焼く' to describe a situation where you are struggling to manage a difficult person or a persistent problem. It implies you have tried many things but the situation remains hard to handle.
This idiom describes the state of being overwhelmed by a task or person. It is commonly used in professional settings to explain why a project is delayed or why a specific individual is difficult to supervise.
The phrase functions as a metaphorical expression for the inability to easily resolve a problematic situation. It conveys a sense of persistent effort met with resistance, often used when discussing interpersonal dynamics or complex project management.
From a cognitive linguistic perspective, '手を焼く' maps the physical sensation of thermal pain onto the abstract domain of social or task-based management. It highlights the speaker's lack of agency in controlling the outcome of a difficult interaction.
This idiom serves as a pragmatic marker of frustration within the Japanese social hierarchy. By utilizing this phrase, the speaker frames their struggle as a result of external factors, thereby maintaining face while acknowledging the difficulty of the situation. It is a quintessential example of how Japanese utilizes somatic metaphors to articulate complex psychological states.

意思

To struggle with a difficult person or situation.

🌍

文化背景

Japanese society values patience. Using this phrase is a way to express that you are being patient despite the difficulty. In Western cultures, 'having your hands full' is often used to excuse yourself from additional work.

🎯

Use with 'ni'

Always remember to use the particle 'ni' to point to the person or thing causing the trouble.

🎯

Use with 'ni'

Always remember to use the particle 'ni' to point to the person or thing causing the trouble.

自我测试

Fill in the blank with the correct particle.

彼は新しい部下___手を焼いている。

✓ 正确！ ✗ 不太对。 正确答案： に

The target of the struggle is marked with 'ni'.

🎉 得分： /1

视觉学习工具

练习题库

2 练习
选择正确答案 Fill Blank

✓ 正确！ ✗ 不太对。 正确答案：
Fill in the blank with the correct particle. Fill Blank A1

彼は新しい部下___手を焼いている。

✓ 正确！ ✗ 不太对。 正确答案： に

The target of the struggle is marked with 'ni'.

🎉 得分： /2

常见问题

1 个问题

Yes, but be careful. It implies your boss is difficult to manage.

相关表达

🔄

手こずる

synonym

To have a hard time

🔗

お手上げ

similar

To give up

在哪里用

💻

Office Project

Tanaka: この新しいソフト、使い方が難しくて手を焼いているよ。

Sato: ああ、私も同じだよ。

neutral
👶

Parenting

Mother: うちの子、最近反抗期で本当に手を焼くわ。

informal

记住它

记忆技巧

Imagine holding a hot potato; you can't drop it, but it hurts to hold it.

视觉联想

A manager holding a flaming document while trying to type.

Story

Kenji is a teacher. He has one student who never listens. Kenji tries to explain the lesson, but the student keeps talking. Kenji sighs, 'I am really struggling with this student.' He is '手を焼いている'.

In Other Languages

English: 'To have one's hands full'. Spanish: 'Tener las manos llenas'.

Word Web

手焼く苦労大変管理困る

挑战

Write three sentences about things that make you struggle.

Review in 1, 3, 7, 14, and 30 days.

发音

重音 Flat pitch accent.

Pronounce 'te' clearly, 'o' is a particle, 'yaku' is the verb.

正式程度

正式
この件には手を焼いております。

この件には手を焼いております。 (Work status update)

中性
この件には手を焼いています。

この件には手を焼いています。 (Work status update)

非正式
これには手を焼いてるよ。

これには手を焼いてるよ。 (Work status update)

俚语
これマジで手こずってる。

これマジで手こずってる。 (Work status update)

Derived from the physical pain of burning one's hands. It implies that the situation is 'hot' or 'dangerous' to touch, yet you are forced to manage it.

Edo Period:

趣味小知识

It is a very common phrase in Japanese detective novels when describing a suspect who won't talk.

文化笔记

Japanese society values patience. Using this phrase is a way to express that you are being patient despite the difficulty.

“部下に手を焼くのは上司の仕事だ。”

In Western cultures, 'having your hands full' is often used to excuse yourself from additional work.

“I can't help, my hands are full.”

对话开场白

“

最近、何か手を焼いていることはありますか？

常见错误

✗

火傷に手を焼く

✓

火傷をした

literal translation
Learners often use this for literal burns. It is strictly figurative.

L1 Interference

0 1

In Other Languages

Spanish Very Similar

Tener las manos llenas

Japanese focuses on the 'burning' (struggle), while Spanish focuses on the 'fullness' (capacity).

French moderate

Avoir du fil à retordre

Japanese is somatic (body-based), French is craft-based.

German Very Similar

Alle Hände voll zu tun haben

German emphasizes the volume of work, Japanese emphasizes the difficulty of the person/task.

Japanese Very Similar

手こずる

手を焼く is more emotional/frustrated; 手こずる is more about time-consuming difficulty.

Arabic moderate

أشغل يدي

Arabic is more about being busy; Japanese is about being troubled.

Spotted in the Real World

📺

(2019)

“彼には本当に手を焼いたよ。”

A housemate discussing a difficult personality in the house.

容易混淆

手を焼く 对比 手を出す

Learners confuse 'hands' idioms.

手を出す means to get involved or start something.

常见问题 (1)

Yes, but be careful. It implies your boss is difficult to manage.

usage contexts

Learning Path

Prerequisites

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