You're on the right track. I was taught the "right hand rule" depicted here [1] - the stationary chopstick is held at the near end between the bases of the thu

You're on the right track. I was taught the "right hand rule" depicted here [1] - the stationary chopstick is held at the near end between the bases of the thumb and index fingers (to prevent it from slipping around), and the far (towards food) end rests on the middle finger. The other chopstick is held with the thumb and index fingers (near the tips) and moves around as a lever to pinch the food. You may have better luck with other grips - I am hopeless with the "standard grip" but perhaps it will work for you. If you want to get good quickly, there is an exercise you can do - pour a small amount of uncooked rice into a bowl, and using only chopsticks transfer the grains to another bowl. Then repeat going the opposite direction, over and over until you either master the chopsticks or swear them off forever :). [1] https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marcosticks-12_common_ways_to_use_chopsticks-cool_guide_style.png https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marcosticks-12_commo...