乱麻 (luàn má) — tangled mess; chaotic situation
Definition
A vivid metaphor for a 'tangled mess' — most often used in fixed expressions like 剪不断，理还乱 or 快刀斩乱麻 (cut through a mess decisively), not as a plain noun for any disorder.
noun
tangled messchaotic situation
Examples
- 乱麻，。Zhè ge wèn tí zhēn shì luàn má yì tuán, hěn nán lǐ qīng chǔ.This problem is really a tangled mess—hard to sort out.
- 乱麻。Tā yòng kuài dāo zhǎn luàn má de fāng shì jiě jué le zhè ge fù zá wèn tí.He solved this complex problem by cutting through the tangled mess with a sharp knife (using a decisive approach).
- 乱麻，。Tā xīn lǐ xiàng luàn má yí yàng, bù zhī gāi zěn me bàn.His heart was like a tangled mess; he didn't know what to do.
Appears in
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