一日一成语【23】at one’s wit’s end

at one’s wit’s end

wit是一个抽象名词，指一个人的智力、才智。At one’s wit’s end从字面上看是“到了一个人才智的尽头”之意，也就是到了一个人办法想尽、能做的事都已做尽这样的境地，相当于汉语中常说的“智穷计尽、不知所措、一筹莫展”。注意wit用于这个抽象意义是不可数的，因此必须用单数，写成wit’s，而不是wits’；同时，at one’s wit’s end也可说成at the end of someone’s wit：

Being at his wit’s end, he is asking anyone he can think of for help.
他到了山穷水尽的地步，能想到的人他都去求人助他一臂之力。

We have tried every means possible but none has turned out successful. We are really at the end of our wit.
所有的办法我们都试过了，但都不奏效，真是一筹莫展了。

The doctors were at the end of their wit: they had done everything they could but nothing worked and the patient had to die.
医生们已无能为力了，他们能做的都做了，但都不见效，病人没救了。