Meaning of 混乱
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- confused; chaotic; disorderly
How to use 混乱
混乱 describes situations, places, or thinking that lack order, such as traffic, a scene, or someone's logic. It can also work as a noun meaning chaos, as in 造成混乱 (zàochéng hùnluàn, to cause chaos). Example: 会场一片混乱。(Huìchǎng yí piàn hùnluàn.) The meeting hall was in total chaos.
混 (hùn) has the water radical 氵, like things stirred together in muddy water, and 乱 (luàn) means messy or out of order. Mix everything up until it is a mess, and you get 混乱 (hùnluàn), chaos.
Common mistake: Learners often say 混乱 for a messy room, but for everyday clutter 乱 (luàn) or 乱七八糟 (luànqībāzāo) sounds more natural, while 混乱 feels more formal and suits larger situations. Also keep 混 in fourth tone here (hùn), not hún.
混乱 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
混 hùn · to mix · 11 strokes
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- 11
乱 luàn · in confusion or disorder · 7 strokes
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- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 混乱.
| 混合 | hùnhé | to mix; to blend; hybrid; composite |
| 乱七八糟 | luànqībāzāo | (idiom) chaotic; in disorder; muddled |
| 捣乱 | dǎoluàn | to disturb; to look for trouble |
| 扰乱 | rǎoluàn | to disturb; to perturb |
| 胡思乱想 | húsī-luànxiǎng | (idiom) to indulge in flights of fancy; to let one's imagination run wild |
| 骚乱 | sāoluàn | disturbance; riot; to create a disturbance |
| 混淆 | hùnxiáo | to obscure; to confuse |
| 混凝土 | hùnníngtǔ | concrete (building material) |
| 霍乱 | huòluàn | cholera |
| 紊乱 | wěnluàn | disorder; chaos |
| 慌乱 | huāngluàn | frenetic; hurried |
| 混浊 | hùnzhuó | turbid; muddy |
Questions about 混乱
What does 混乱 mean?
混乱 (hùnluàn) means "confused; chaotic; disorderly" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 混乱?
混乱 is made of 2 characters: 混 (11 strokes), 乱 (7 strokes). That is 18 strokes in total.
Is 混乱 an HSK word?
Yes. 混乱 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 混乱 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 混乱 is written 混亂.
What is the difference between 混乱 and 乱?
乱 (luàn) is a short, everyday word for anything messy, from hair to a desk. 混乱 (hùnluàn) is more formal and is usually used for situations, order, or ideas, like 交通混乱 (jiāotōng hùnluàn), chaotic traffic.
Can 混乱 describe a person's mind?
Yes. You can say 思维混乱 (sīwéi hùnluàn) for muddled thinking or 我脑子很混乱 (wǒ nǎozi hěn hùnluàn) for feeling confused. If you mean letting your imagination run wild, use 胡思乱想 (húsī-luànxiǎng) instead.