混乱
hùnluàn
The English word "chaotic" is translated into Chinese as 混乱 (hùnluàn).
混乱 is used to describe something that is extremely disorganized or in disarray. It is frequently applied to abstract situations, such as a chaotic market (市场混乱) or a chaotic political situation (局面混乱).
Meaning: extremely disorganized or in disarray (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 混乱 is composed of 混 (hùn), meaning 'mixed' or 'muddy' and 乱 (luàn), meaning 'disorderly' or 'messy'.
Which one should you use?
无序 (wúxù) specifically means 'disordered', and 混沌 (hùndùn) can also be used to mean 'chaotic'. For a more descriptive or idiomatic way to say something is a complete mess, you might use the informal terms 乱七八糟 (luàn qī bā zāo) or 一团糟 (yī tuán zāo).
How does it change in a sentence?
To express degree, such as saying something is 'very chaotic', you typically place the adverb 很 (hěn) before 混乱, resulting in 很混乱. You can also intensify the meaning by adding 不堪 (bùkān) to the end of the word to form the idiom 混乱不堪, which means 'extremely chaotic' or 'in a state of utter chaos'.
How do you pronounce it?
hùnluàn
Did you know?
- In Chinese mythology, 混沌 (hùndùn) was a primordial deity who existed before the universe and lacked a face or sensory organs.
- While 混乱 (hùnluàn) is a standard adjective, the idiom 乱七八糟 (luàn qī bā zāo) literally translates to 'seven messy and eight wastes', a nonsensical numbering used to emphasize total disorder.
- The character 混 (hùn) can mean 'mixed' or 'muddy', but it is also used as a slang verb meaning 'to muddle through life' or 'to live aimlessly' without a clear goal.
Examples in context
- 这个城市的交通常常处于混乱状态。The traffic in this city is often in a chaotic state.
- 这个会议的进行非常无序，需要有人来组织。The proceedings of this meeting are very disordered, and someone needs to organize it.
- 新闻报道揭示了政府漠视问题所导致的混沌状态。News reports revealed the chaotic state caused by the government's neglect of the issue.
- 他的房间乱七八糟，找什么都找不到。His room is a complete mess, and you can't find anything.
- 那个项目的组织一团糟，结果失败了。The organization of that project was a complete mess, and it failed as a result.
- 这里的交通非常混乱。zhèlǐ de jiāotōng fēicháng hùnluàn.The traffic here is very chaotic.
- 我的房间里一片混乱。wǒ de fángjiān lǐ yīpiàn hùnluàn.My room is in a state of complete chaos.
- 由于天气原因，场面很混乱。yóuyú tiānqì yuányīn, chǎngmiàn hěn hùnluàn.Due to the weather, the scene was quite chaotic.
Example conversation
Yuting and Junjie are talking about a busy market.
- 雨婷 Yuting俊杰，你觉得这个市场怎么样？Jùnjié, nǐ juéde zhège shìchǎng zěnmeyàng?Junjie, what do you think of this market?
- 俊杰 Junjie我觉得这里太混乱了。Wǒ juéde zhèlǐ tài hùnluàn le.I think it's too chaotic here.
- 雨婷 Yuting确实，人太多了。Quèshí, rén tài duō le.Indeed, there are too many people.
- 俊杰 Junjie我们快离开这里吧。Wǒmen kuài líkāi zhèlǐ ba.Let's leave this place quickly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “chaotic” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
