How to say "to be up to one's ears in work (idiom)" in Chinese
分身乏术
fēn shēn fá shù
work · communication · intermediate · neutral
When To Use It
"to be up to one's ears in work (idiom)" maps to 分身乏术 (fēn shēn fá shù), a neutral work phrase for communication situations.
Use it when you need to keep a conversation moving despite a language gap, unclear wording, or missing context.
Practice it first exactly as written, then swap in your own people, places, or objects so it becomes part of your active speaking repertoire.
Tone And Delivery
The register is neutral, which makes it flexible: safe in most daily situations without sounding stiff or overly intimate.
Because this is marked intermediate, focus on when it sounds natural, not just how to translate it word for word.
A good practice target is the example sentence 分身乏术 (fēn shēn fá shù). Once that feels natural, shorten your pause and try it at conversation speed.
Practice Ideas
This phrase becomes more useful when you learn it as part of a mini-sequence. After saying it, a natural next step could be 电话门 (diàn huà mén).
A second nearby phrase to review is 阴阳合同 (yīn yáng hé tong), which helps you stay in the same topic instead of translating from scratch again.
- Read the example “to be up to one's ears in work (idiom)” aloud, then replace one detail with your own information.
- Pair it with “"Phone Gate", corruption scandal unearthed through telephone records” next so your conversation does not stop after a single line.
- Match the phrase to your tone of voice: soft for polite requests, flatter and quicker for routine daily use.
- If you hear a slightly different version in the wild, compare the tone and context before treating it as interchangeable.
Examples
分身乏术
fēn shēn fá shù
to be up to one's ears in work (idiom)
Related
- "Phone Gate", corruption scandal unearthed through telephone records — 电话门 (diàn huà mén)
- a deal where the parties collude to sign an under-the-table "yin contract" 陰合同|阴合同 as well as an ostensibly genuine "yang contract" 陽合同|阳合同 in order to deceive authorities — 阴阳合同 (yīn yáng hé tong)
- a network computer game — 联机游戏 (lián jī yóu xì)
- a project of vital and lasting importance — 百年大计 (bǎi nián dà jì)
Explore more phrases on the How to say index or try the Chinese Name Generator.
Phrase FAQ
How do you say "to be up to one's ears in work (idiom)" in Chinese?
分身乏术 (fēn shēn fá shù).
When should I use this phrase?
Use it in communication situations where a neutral tone fits. Because it is tagged intermediate, it is meant to be practical and reusable rather than literary or highly specialized.
Is pronunciation included?
Yes. Every phrase page includes pinyin with tone marks, plus example sentences so you can hear how the wording expands in real use.
What should I learn next after this phrase?
A useful follow-up is 电话门 (diàn huà mén) — ""Phone Gate", corruption scandal unearthed through telephone records". Studying connected phrases in small clusters makes them easier to recall in conversation.