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忙乱 (máng luàn) — rushed and confused; flustered and disorganized

Definition

忙乱 describes a person or scene that is both rushed and disorganized at the same time. It combines the busyness of 忙碌 with the disorder of 混乱, while 慌忙/慌乱 focus on a flustered mental state.

adjective
rushed and confusedflustered and disorganized

Examples

  • 忙乱，。
    Tā jīn tiān tè bié máng luàn, yīn wèi shì qing tài duō le.
    He's especially rushed and confused today because there are too many things to do.
  • 忙乱，。
    Bàn gōng shì lǐ yí piàn máng luàn, dà jiā dōu hěn zháo jí.
    The office was all rushed and chaotic; everyone was very anxious.
  • ，忙乱。
    Miàn duì zhè me duō wèn tí, tā gǎn dào shí fēn máng luàn.
    Faced with so many problems, he felt very flustered and muddled.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

忙mángbusy
乱luàndisordered

忙 gives a rushed feeling and 乱 gives disorder, together describing flustered confusion.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
忄Written in full as心xīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
亡
亡wáng忙máng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

忙 pairs 忄 (heart) with 亡, which gives the sound.

Open 忙 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Daily RoutineEmotions & Feelings

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.