Chinese word

乱七八糟

Pronunciation

Pinyinluàn qī bā zāo

Meaning

  • adjectivemessy

Example

昨天房间乱七八糟，现在已经收拾好了。zuó tiān fáng jiān luàn qī bā zāo xiàn zài yǐ jīng shōu shí hǎo le

Yesterday, the room was messy, but it has been tidied up now.

Illustration for 乱七八糟 (messy)

More examples

考试前书桌上资料堆得乱七八糟，很难复习。kǎo shì qián shū zhuō shàng zī liào duī de luàn qī bā zāo hěn nán fù xí

Before the exam, the materials were in a messy pile on the desk, so it was hard to review.

Core concept

Order breaks down across many parts until the whole looks confused and unmanageable.

Common phrases

  • 一团乱七八糟yì tuán luàn qī bā zāo

    a complete mess

  • 显得乱七八糟xiǎn de luàn qī bā zāo

    look messy

  • 乱七八糟的资料luàn qī bā zāo de zī liào

    messy materials

Similar words

凌乱líng luàn: Describes a messy appearance caused by objects, hair, or clothes lacking neat arrangement.
混乱hùn luàn: Describes a state in which people, events, or systems become mixed up and disordered.
乱糟糟luàn zāo zāo: Describes a visibly cluttered state in which scattered things make a place look jumbled.
杂乱无章zá luàn wú zhāng: Describes things or writing that have no clear order, organization, or logical structure.

Definition in Chinese

形容非常杂乱、没有秩序，物品或地方散落无章，也可指情况混乱失序。xíng róng fēi cháng zá luàn méi yǒu zhì xù wù pǐn huò dì fāng sàn luò wú zhāng yě kě zhǐ qíng kuàng hùn luàn shī xù

Word origin

乱 (luàn, "disorder") + 七 (qī, "seven") + 八 (bā, "eight") + 糟 (zāo, "mess") creates a vivid picture of many parts thrown into disorder.

Usage tips

  • The expression is vivid and conversational, so it suits a strong complaint about a room, desk, or situation more than a formal report or a small imperfection.

Other meanings

  • jumbledadjective
  • disorderlyadjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word