手探り

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 手探り (てさぐり) means feeling around by hand and, figuratively, proceeding by trial and error without enough information.
• Basic usage: In darkness, a person follows a wall by touch; in unfamiliar work, progress comes while discovering the method.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Tactile searching and figurative exploration without guidance
  • Both examples use 手探りで, but the first relies literally on touch and the second figuratively develops a method without an established procedure.