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亂 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
亂luànanarchy, chaos; revoltzg, 13 strokes, radical 乚
luàn(luan4)luan T4
  1. 1anarchy, chaos; revolt
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March 24, 2026

亂luàn(luan4)

亂 (luàn) refers to a state of disorder or chaos, often associated with anarchy and confusion. It can describe both physical situations, such as a tumultuous environment, and abstract concepts, like a chaotic mind or a state of revolt against authority.

Strokes13Radical乚
Cultural Note

In Chinese history, the concept of 亂 often relates to periods of upheaval and revolution, such as during the Cultural Revolution, which profoundly affected society and governance. The term captures the historical significance of chaos in shaping modern China.

Memory Tip

Imagine a 'luan' (乱) of cats running around in chaos, knocking over everything in the room. The character has a 'disorder' component (the left side shows 'disorder' or 'chaos'), while the right side hints at a 'mixing' of things, emphasizing the chaotic nature of the word.

Meanings of 亂

luàn(luan4)
1anarchy, chaos; revolt
Exercise 1 of 2

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About 亂

亂Simplified
13Strokes
乚Radical
状态词stative word (stat.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 亂

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Podcast: 亂

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AI Study Notes for 亂

Quick Contrast

混乱 (hùnluàn) vs 纷乱 (fēnluàn): Use 亂 (luàn) for general chaos or disorder, while 混乱 (hùnluàn) emphasizes confusion among elements, and 纷乱 (fēnluàn) suggests a more chaotic scattering or turmoil.

Usage Notes

Be careful not to confuse 亂 (luàn) with similar-sounding words that have different meanings. It is used in both formal contexts, such as discussing social unrest, and informal contexts, like describing a messy room. Common collocations include 亂七八糟 (luànqībāzāo), meaning 'in a complete mess'.

HSK Study Tips

Although 亂 is not included in the HSK vocabulary, it connects to HSK Level 3 words like 混乱 (hùnluàn, confusion) and 乱七八糟 (luànqībāzāo, in a mess). Students should focus on understanding how 亂 describes states of disorder in both concrete and abstract terms.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 亂 (luàn) with other characters like 乱 (luàn), which is the same but may be misunderstood in context. A common mistake is using it interchangeably with 整齐 (zhěngqí), which means 'neat' — be sure to use 亂 when indicating disorder.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 亂

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Etymology of 亂

Formation TypeIdeographic 指事
六书 ClassificationIdeograph (指事字)~2% of characters
Explanation

Simplified form of 亂. The left side of 亂 was simplified to the graphically similar 舌 (tongue).

Memory Hint

A kneeling person 乚 using their hands 爫 to unravel a knot

Learn more about Ideograph (指事字) characters
Exercise 1 of 1

Origin

What kind of character is 亂?

Decomposition of 亂

IDS Structure⿰⿳爫?⿵冂⿱厶�
亂Full Character
=
爫zhao3
top
冂jiong1
enclosing
厶mou3
top
又you4
bottom
乚gou1
Exercise 1 of 3

Parts

Which of these is part of 亂?

How to say anarchy, chaos; revolt in Chinese

“anarchy, chaos; revolt” in Chinese is亂luàn

亂 (luàn) refers to a state of disorder or chaos, often associated with anarchy and confusion. It can describe both physical situations, such as a tumultuous environment, and abstract concepts, like a chaotic mind or a state of revolt against authority.

When to use 亂

Be careful not to confuse 亂 (luàn) with similar-sounding words that have different meanings. It is used in both formal contexts, such as discussing social unrest, and informal contexts, like describing a messy room. Common collocations include 亂七八糟 (luànqībāzāo), meaning 'in a complete mess'.

亂 or something close to it

混乱 (hùnluàn) vs 纷乱 (fēnluàn): Use 亂 (luàn) for general chaos or disorder, while 混乱 (hùnluàn) emphasizes confusion among elements, and 纷乱 (fēnluàn) suggests a more chaotic scattering or turmoil.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 亂 (luàn) with other characters like 乱 (luàn), which is the same but may be misunderstood in context. A common mistake is using it interchangeably with 整齐 (zhěngqí), which means 'neat' — be sure to use 亂 when indicating disorder.

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亂

Practice writing 亂 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

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Word Family of 亂

Words Containing This Character20
乱luàndisorder亂
混乱hùnluànconfusion混亂
乱七八糟luànqībāzāoat sixes and sevens亂七八糟
扰乱rǎoluànto disturb擾亂
捣乱dǎoluànto disturb搗亂
紊乱wěnluàndisorder紊亂
乱动to fiddle with亂動
骚乱sāoluànriot騷亂
乱世the world in chaos亂世
凌乱messy凌亂
乱跑to run around all over the place亂跑
胡乱húluàncareless胡亂
错乱in disorder錯亂
乱来to act recklessly亂來
慌乱huāngluànfrenetic慌亂
叛乱armed rebellion叛亂
胡言乱语double Dutch胡言亂語
心烦意乱lit. heart distracted, thoughts in turmoil (idiom); distraught with anxiety心煩意亂
胡思乱想húsīluànxiǎngto indulge in flights of fancy (idiom)胡思亂想
暴乱riot暴亂
Exercise 1 of 4

Characters with 亂

What does 乱 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 亂

You can use 亂 in phrases like 亂七八糟 (luànqībāzāo), meaning 'in total disarray' or 亂說 (luànshuō), meaning 'to talk nonsense'.

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