TongTong
Sign in

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.

Origin

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

手 draws a five-fingered human hand: the top line is a bent middle finger, and the horizontal lines show the other four fingers.

Open 手 →

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 腳; 脚 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺼Written in full as肉ròumeat, body
Sound part声符shēngfú
卻
卻què腳jiǎo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 腳 uses ⺼ for a body part and 卻 for the sound; the simplified 脚 is a later shorthand.

Open 脚 →

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
Emotions & FeelingsIdioms & Set Phrases

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