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乱成一团 (luàn chéng yī tuán) — in a complete mess, in chaos, all in a tangle

Definition

An idiom for something being in total disarray — a room, situation, or documents tangled into chaos. More vivid than the plain phrase 很乱, and stronger than 混乱 (n.), which names disorder rather than depicting a scene.

idiom
in a complete messin chaosall in a tangle

Examples

  • 乱成一团。
    Tā de fáng jiān luàn chéng yī tuán.
    His room is in a complete mess.
  • 乱成一团，。
    Wén jiàn quán dōu luàn chéng yī tuán, xū yào zhěng lǐ.
    The documents are all in a mess and need to be organized.
  • 乱成一团，。
    Jú shì luàn chéng yī tuán, nán yǐ kòng zhì.
    The situation is in chaos and hard to control.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 亂; 乱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
乚Written in full as乙yǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
𤔔
𤔔𤔔亂luàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 亂 contains 𤔔, a drawing of combing tangled threads, and 乙; the simplified 乱 is only a later shorthand, not the historical shape.

Open 乱 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
戊戊wù
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng成chéng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

成 puts 戊, a weapon, beside 丁, which gives the sound. The weapon part relates to protection, as in the old sense of city walls.

Open 成 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

一 is drawn as one horizontal stroke, marking the number one.

Open 一 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 團; 团 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
囗囗wéi
Sound part声符shēngfú
專
專zhuān團tuán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The form 團 combines 囗 as a meaning part with 專 as a sound part; the story is about 團, not about 团.

Open 团 →
Appears in
Abstract ConceptsIdioms & Set Phrases

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