Chinese word

狼狈

Pronunciation

Pinyinláng bèi

Meaning

  • adjectiveflustered

Example

她的钱包丢了，在街上显得很狼狈。tā de qián bāo diū le zài jiē shàng xiǎn de hěn láng bèi

She lost her wallet and looked flustered on the street.

Illustration for 狼狈 (flustered)

More examples

考试现场突然停电，考生们显得很狼狈。kǎo shì xiàn chǎng tū rán tíng diàn kǎo shēng men xiǎn de hěn láng bèi

The power suddenly went out at the exam venue, and the students looked very flustered.

Core concept

A person thrown off balance by trouble, with hurried actions and a visibly disordered appearance that feels awkward and undignified.

Common phrases

  • 感到狼狈gǎn dào láng bèi

    feel flustered

  • 一副狼狈样子yí fù láng bèi yàng zi

    a flustered look

  • 处境很狼狈chǔ jìng hěn láng bèi

    be in a very awkward situation

Similar words

慌张huāng zhāng: Becoming restless and confused when sudden events cause a loss of calm.
尴尬gān gà: Being in an awkward situation that causes embarrassment and discomfort.
难堪nán kān: Being painfully embarrassed by a situation and finding the discomfort hard to bear.

Definition in Chinese

因突发情况或处境困难而显得慌张、窘迫，外表或举止凌乱，给人尴尬不体面的感觉。yīn tū fā qíng kuàng huò chǔ jìng kùn nán ér xiǎn de huāng zhāng jiǒng pò wài biǎo huò jú zhǐ líng luàn gěi rén gān gà bù tǐ miàn de gǎn jué

Word origin

The traditional account of 狼狈 (lángbèi, "flustered and disheveled") describes two creatures unable to move properly without each other, which became an image of helpless disorder in people.

Usage tips

  • In everyday English, embarrassed can describe a private feeling, while this word often describes the visible result of a mishap, even when shame is not the main point.

Other meanings

  • embarrassmentnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 狼狈不堪láng bèi bù kānextremely flusteredidiom

Word lists with this word