Chinese word

一塌糊涂

Pronunciation

Pinyinyī tā hú tú

Meaning

  • adjectivemessy

Example

桌子上的文件一塌糊涂，我要整理。zhuō zi shàng de wén jiàn yì tā hú tú wǒ yào zhéng lǐ

The papers on the desk are messy, so I need to organize them.

Illustration for 一塌糊涂 (messy)

More examples

他因为忙得不得了，房子一塌糊涂，都没时间打扫。tā yīn wèi máng de bù dé liǎo fáng zi yì tā hú tú dōu méi shí jiān dá sǎo

He is extremely busy, so the house is a complete mess, and he does not even have time to clean.

Core concept

A whole arrangement collapses until its parts lose order and clear boundaries.

Common phrases

  • 把家里弄得一塌糊涂bǎ jiā lǐ nòng de yì tā hú tú

    make the home a complete mess

  • 生活一塌糊涂shēng huó yì tā hú tú

    a completely disorganized life

  • 把计划搞得一塌糊涂bǎ jì huà gǎo de yì tā hú tú

    make the plan a complete mess

Similar words

乱七八糟luàn qī bā zāo: Describes things that are scattered around and not neatly arranged.
混乱hùn luàn: Describes a lack of order that makes a situation or line of thought hard to organize.
一团糟yì tuán zāo: Describes an overall mess that has become difficult to sort out or control.
杂乱zá luàn: Describes things of different kinds or in different orders mixed together without neat arrangement.

Definition in Chinese

形容整体陷入混乱，无法分辨各部分，常用来形容物品、计划或局面的凌乱。xíng róng zhéng tǐ xiàn rù hùn luàn wú fǎ fēn biàn gè bù fèn cháng yòng lái xíng róng wù pǐn jì huà huò jú miàn de líng luàn

Word origin

一塌 (yītā, "collapsed") + 糊涂 (hútú, "confused") creates a vivid picture of a situation whose order and clarity have completely broken down.

Usage tips

  • The expression is useful for a strong everyday reaction to a badly arranged pile, plan, or situation, rather than for a small isolated mistake.

Other meanings

  • chaoticidiom
  • disorganizedadjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word