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麻烦 (má fan) — (adjective) troublesome, inconvenient; (verb) to bother (someone to do something), to put to trouble (used in polite requests); (noun) trouble, inconvenience, bother

Definition

麻烦 covers both the noun 'trouble' and the verb 'to bother someone' (polite requests: 麻烦你…). As an adjective it's broader than 不便 (purely inconvenient) and lighter than 讨厌 (truly annoying).

adjective
troublesomeinconvenient
verb
to bother (someone to do something)to put to trouble (used in polite requests)
noun
troubleinconveniencebother

Examples

  • 麻烦。
    Zhè jiàn shì hěn má fan.
    This matter is very troublesome.
  • 麻烦。
    má fan Nǐ kāi yí xià mén.
    Could I trouble you to open the door?
  • 麻烦。
    Wǒ men yǒu má fan le.
    We have a problem/trouble.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

麻mánumb
烦fánannoyed

麻 means numb and 烦 means annoyed, so together they describe something troublesome.

Characters in this word

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

麻 combines 厂 and 𣏟 to represent hemp leaves.

Open 麻 →

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 →

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4500 Most Frequent Chinese WordsHSK 2.0 Level 41000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsGood & Bad2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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