烦乱 (fán luàn) — (of state of mind) confused, agitated, in turmoil

Definition

Describes a mental or emotional state of confusion and agitation — thoughts unsettled, hard to focus. Written/formal in tone, more literary than the everyday 心烦意乱.

adjective
(of state of mind) confusedagitatedin turmoil

Examples

  • 烦乱，。
    Tā zuì jìn xīn qíng fán luàn, zǒng shì wú fǎ jí zhōng zhù yì lì.
    He's been in a confused and agitated state lately, unable to concentrate.
  • ，烦乱。
    Tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi hòu, tā de sī xù biàn de shí fēn fán luàn.
    After hearing this news, her thoughts became very confused and agitated.
  • ，烦乱，。
    Miàn duì zhè me duō wèn tí, tā gǎn dào nèi xīn fán luàn, bù zhī cóng hé rù shǒu.
    Faced with so many problems, he felt inwardly confused and didn't know where to start.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

烦fántroubled
乱luàndisordered

'烦' means troubled and '乱' means disordered, so together they describe an agitated state of mind.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 煩; 烦 is its simplified writing.

In the traditional form 煩, the shape is made from 火 (fire) and 頁 (head).

Open 烦 →

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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