扼腕

èwàn
to wring one's hands (literally wring one's wrists)

CEDICT

  1. (literary) to wring one's hands (with enthusiasm, disappointment, indignation, etc.)
  2. to wring one's hands (with enthusiasm, disappointment, indignation, etc.)

Wiktionary

用手握腕，以表示內心的情緒：(1)失意的樣子。《醉醒石．第一四回》：「故寒窗扼腕，靜舍悲歌，便做出三上書，幾叩門根柢。」(2)憤怒的樣子。《戰國策．燕策三》：「樊於期偏袒扼腕而進曰：『此臣之日夜切齒拊心也，乃今得聞教。』」(3)表示得意、振奮。唐．白行簡《李娃傳》：「扼腕頓顙而登，乃歌『白馬』之詞。」(4)表示同情與嘆息。《文明小史．第四一回》：「人家知道他於這個小兒子鍾愛特甚，見了面都著實代為扼腕。」也作「搤腕」。

重編國語辭典

Entry Composition

=1 扼 è
  1. to grip forcefully
  2. to clutch at
  3. to guard
  4. to control
  5. to hold
=1 扼 è variant of 扼 è
2 腕 wàn
  1. wrist
  2. (squid, starfish etc) arm