This is the 8478th most frequent Japanese word.
手ぶら
"Empty-handed."
In this sentence, '手ぶら' refers to not carrying items like a shopping bag.
手ぶらなら買い物袋を持っていくべき。
If you are empty-handed, you should take shopping bags.
This illustrates '手ぶら' used to express arriving somewhere without carrying any items.
彼は手ぶらでパーティーに来た。
He came to the party empty-handed.
Here, '手ぶら' is used to indicate that the person visited without bringing anything with them.