添乱 (tiān luàn) — to cause trouble, to add to someone's bother | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

添乱 means to make a messy situation worse by meddling — 'to add to the trouble.' It is often used when someone tries to help but only creates more problems.

verb

to cause troubleto add to someone's bother

Examples

添乱，。
Nǐ bié zài zhè lǐ tiān luàn le, kuài qù zuò nǐ zì jǐ de shì.
Don't cause trouble here — go do your own thing.
，添乱。
Shì qing yǐ jīng gòu duō le, nǐ bié zài gěi wǒ tiān luàn le.
There's already enough going on — don't add to my trouble.
！，。
Nǐ jiù zhī dào gěi wǒ tiān shén me luàn! běn lái xiǎng bāng máng, jié guǒ yuè bāng yuè máng.
All you know is how to cause me trouble! I wanted help, but you just made things worse.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

乱luàntrouble

添 means to add, and 乱 means trouble, so the combined sense is to add trouble.

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

水水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

忝

忝tiǎn添tiān

Same sound today

添 pairs 水 (water) with 忝, which gives its sound; the shape pictures increasing by pouring more water in.

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.

Appears in

Conflict & Agreement

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