乱麻 (luàn má) — tangled mess; chaotic situation | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

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.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

乱luàntangled

乱 “tangled” + 麻 “hemp” pictures tangled hemp, hence a chaotic mess.

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.

𤔔乚亂

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.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

厂厂chǎng
𣏟𣏟𣏟

麻 combines 厂 and 𣏟 to represent hemp leaves.

Appears in

Abstract Concepts

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