紊 meaning and stroke order
Tangled; confused, disordered
How to write 紊, stroke by stroke
10 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
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- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
Meaning of 紊
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- involved
- tangled
- disorderly
- confused
- chaotic
- Taiwan pr. [wen4]
How 紊 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Thread.
糸 gives the meaning and 文 hints at the sound.
Radical: 糸 (silk), shared by 27 characters on this site.
How to remember 紊
紊 puts 文 (wén) on top of 糸, the silk thread radical. Picture threads 糸 piled under a pattern 文 until they get tangled, and the sound wěn comes from 文.
紊 almost never appears alone. You will see it in 紊乱 (wěnluàn, disorder) and in the idiom 有条不紊 (yǒutiáobùwěn, orderly and methodical). Example: 他做事有条不紊。(Tā zuòshì yǒutiáobùwěn.) He does things in an orderly way.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 紊 (wěn) with 紋/纹 (wén, lines or patterns). Both have 文 and 糸, but 紊 stacks them top and bottom and means disorder, while 纹 puts them side by side. Learners also read 紊 as wén in second tone because of 文.
Common words with 紊
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 紊乱 | wěnluàn | disorder; chaos | HSK 7-9 |
| 有条不紊 | yǒutiáobùwěn | regular and thorough (idiom); methodically arranged |
Questions about 紊
How many strokes are in 紊?
紊 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 紊 mean?
紊 (wěn) means tangled; confused, disordered. A common word with it is 紊乱 (wěnluàn), meaning "disorder; chaos".
How do you pronounce 紊?
紊 is pronounced wěn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 紊?
The radical of 紊 is 糸, which carries the idea of "silk". Dictionaries list 紊 under this radical.
Is 紊 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 紊 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why do some people say wèn instead of wěn?
In Taiwan the standard reading is fourth tone, wèn. In mainland Mandarin it is third tone, wěn. Both refer to the same character and meaning.
Is 紊乱 used in everyday speech?
紊乱 is fairly formal. It is common in medical and technical contexts, such as 内分泌紊乱 (nèifēnmì wěnluàn, endocrine disorder). In casual talk people more often say 乱 (luàn) or 乱七八糟 (luànqībāzāo).