Chinese word

杂乱无章

Pronunciation

Pinyinzá luàn wú zhāng

Meaning

  • adjectivemessy

Example

孩子们把玩具弄得杂乱无章，需要收拾。hái zi men bǎ wán jù nòng de zá luàn wú zhāng xū yào shōu shí

The children left the toys in a mess, so they need to be tidied up.

Illustration for 杂乱无章 (messy)

More examples

他的书桌杂乱无章，经常找不到资料。tā de shū zhuō zá luàn wú zhāng jīng cháng zhǎo bú dào zī liào

His desk is messy, and he often cannot find his materials.

Core concept

A situation or arrangement in which scattered parts do not form an orderly structure.

Common phrases

  • 杂乱无章的书架zá luàn wú zhāng de shū jià

    messy bookshelf

  • 显得杂乱无章xiǎn de zá luàn wú zhāng

    look messy

  • 杂乱无章的讨论zá luàn wú zhāng de tǎo lùn

    disorganized discussion

Similar words

混乱hùn luàn: Chaotic and unsettled because a lack of order keeps things from coming together.
乱七八糟luàn qī bā zāo: Very messy and cluttered, in a casual spoken way.

Definition in Chinese

形容事物或情况杂乱无序，缺乏章法与条理。xíng róng shì wù huò qíng kuàng zá luàn wú xù quē fá zhāng fǎ yǔ tiáo lǐ

Word origin

The idiom combines 杂 (zá, "mixed") + 乱 (luàn, "disordered") + 无 (wú, "without") + 章 (zhāng, "pattern") to show disorder with no guiding pattern.

Usage tips

  • Although it works in conversation, it has a somewhat formal feel and often appears when people discuss reports, writing, plans, or work that lacks clear organization.

Other meanings

  • chaoticadjective
  • disorderlyadjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word