Chinese word

混乱

Pronunciation

Pinyinhùn luàn

Meaning

  • adjectivechaotic

Example

会议上气氛很混乱，大家都在说话。huì yì shàng qì fēn hěn hùn luàn dà jiā dōu zài shuō huà

The atmosphere at the meeting is chaotic, and everyone is talking.

Illustration for 混乱 (chaotic)

More examples

地震发生后，救援工作一度混乱。dì zhèn fā shēng hòu jiù yuán gōng zuò yí dù hùn luàn

After the earthquake, rescue efforts were chaotic for a while.

Core concept

Different parts lose their order and no longer form a clear whole.

Common phrases

  • 思绪混乱sī xù hùn luàn

    confused thoughts

  • 局势混乱jú shì hùn luàn

    chaotic situation

  • 场面混乱chǎng miàn hùn luàn

    chaotic scene

Similar words

乱luàn: Disorderly when order has been lost and things are spread around without control.
杂乱zá luàn: Jumbled when different elements are mixed together, making the whole unclear.
凌乱líng luàn: Untidy in appearance when objects or parts of a place are not neatly arranged.

Definition in Chinese

表示处于杂乱无序的状态，事情或思绪难以理清。biǎo shì chǔ yú zá luàn wú xù de zhuàng tài shì qíng huò sī xù nán yǐ lǐ qīng

Word origin

混 (hùn, "mix") + 乱 (luàn, "disorder") combines the ideas of things becoming mixed and order breaking down.

Usage tips

  • English often uses "confused" for a person's state, but this word more often presents the surrounding situation or organization as lacking order.

Other meanings

  • messyadjective
  • jumbledadjective

Related words

  • 混乱局面hùn luàn jú miànchaotic situationnoun

Word lists with this word