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杂乱 (zá luàn) — in a mess; chaotic; disorderly

Definition

A formal adjective for a cluttered, disorderly state (rooms, papers, thoughts) — stronger and more written than 乱, which is the everyday word for 'messy'. Often modifies nouns directly (杂乱的房间) or takes 地 before a verb.

in a messchaoticdisorderly

Examples

  • 杂乱，。
    Zhè ge fáng jiān tài zá luàn le, xū yào shōu shi yí xià.
    This room is too messy; it needs to be cleaned up.
  • 杂乱。
    Tā de zhuō shàng duī mǎn le zá luàn de zhǐ zhāng.
    His desk is piled with chaotic papers.
  • 杂乱。
    Yuàn zi lǐ zá luàn dì duī fàng zhe gè zhǒng zá wù.
    All kinds of clutter are haphazardly piled up in the yard.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

杂zámixed
乱luàndisorderly

杂 gives mixed and 乱 gives disorderly, so together they mean chaotic.

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 雜; 杂 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
衣衣yī
Sound part声符shēngfú
集
集jí雜zá
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 雜 pairs 衣 (clothes) with 集 as a sound part, originally referring to mixed colours, perhaps in dyed clothes; the simplified 杂 is a later shorthand.

Open 杂 →

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 →
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