捣乱

• Pinyin: dǎo luàn
• Hanzi breakdown: 捣 = 扌 + 岛 (to pound, disturb); 乱 = 乙 + 舌 (chaos, disorder)

Meaning

To make trouble; to disrupt; to cause chaos. A verb meaning to deliberately interfere with normal proceedings or create disorder.

Used for intentional disruption in social, workplace, or institutional contexts. Can range from childish mischief to serious sabotage. The term always implies deliberate intent rather than accidental interference.

Examples

1. 开会时有人故意捣乱，会议不得不中途暂停。 Someone deliberately caused trouble during the meeting, so the meeting had to be suspended halfway through.
2. 别在这里捣乱，让大家安心工作。 Don't make trouble here; let everyone work in peace.
3. 他总爱在关键时刻捣乱，严重影响了团队的整体进度。 He always likes to disrupt things at critical moments, seriously affecting the team's overall progress.

Usage Guide

Context: social, workplace, education

Tone: negative

Do Say

• 别捣乱了！(Stop making trouble!)
• 他在课堂上捣乱。(He was disrupting the class.)

Don't Say

• 捣乱工作 — use 影响工作 or 妨碍工作 when describing disruption to specific work tasks

Origin & History

捣 (to pound, to disturb) + 乱 (chaos, disorder). Together expressing deliberate creation of disorder.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal