手忙脚乱 (shǒu máng jiǎo luàn) — to be in a flurry; to be flustered and flurried (usually due to being rushed or overwhelmed)
Definition
Idiom meaning 'in a flurry, flustered and disorganized' from rushing or being overwhelmed. Pairs with 地 as an adverbial, or sits after 得/得 to describe a state (急得/忙得 手忙脚乱).
idiom
to be in a flurryto be flustered and flurried (usually due to being rushed or overwhelmed)
Examples
- ，手忙脚乱。Tā zǎo shàng qǐ wǎn le, kāi shǐ shǒu máng jiǎo luàn dì chuān yī fu.He woke up late in the morning and started to dress in a flurry.
- ，，。Kǎo shì kuài kāi shǐ le, tā cái fā xiàn méi dài bǐ, jí dé shǒu máng jiǎo luàn.Just as the exam was about to start, he realized he hadn't brought a pen and got flustered.
- ，手忙脚乱。Kè rén jiù yào dào le, chú fáng lǐ rén rén shǒu máng jiǎo luàn dì zhǔn bèi fàn cài.The guests are about to arrive, and everyone in the kitchen is preparing the meal in a flurry.
Appears in
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