闹事

• Pinyin: nào shì
• Hanzi breakdown: 闹 = 门(gate/door) + 市(market) — noisy activity inside an enclosed space; 事 = a pictograph of a hand holding a writing implement — matters/affairs

Meaning

To cause trouble; to stir up unrest; to create a public disturbance or commotion.

Implies intentional disruption of social order, whether in a workplace, public space, or institutional setting. Often carries a critical connotation. Common in news reporting, legal contexts, and colloquial descriptions of conflicts.

Examples

1. 几十名工人因拖欠工资而在厂门口聚集闹事，当局迅速派员前往疏导，以防事态进一步扩大。 Dozens of workers gathered at the factory gate to cause a disturbance over unpaid wages, and the authorities quickly sent personnel to defuse the situation to prevent it from escalating.
2. 政府明确警告，任何借机闹事、扰乱社会秩序的行为都将依法受到严肃追究。 The government warned that any acts of stirring up trouble under the pretext of an opportunity and disrupting social order would be dealt with severely according to law.
3. 他醉酒之后时常在附近闹事，周围的居民早已不堪其扰，多次向有关部门进行了投诉。 After getting drunk, he often caused trouble in the neighborhood. The residents had long had enough and filed complaints with the relevant authorities many times.

Usage Guide

Context: news, legal, labour disputes, public order, colloquial

Tone: critical/neutral

Do Say

• 一旦有人趁乱闹事，警方将立即介入，维护现场秩序，保障其他市民的人身安全。(Once someone tries to stir up trouble amid the chaos, police will immediately intervene to maintain order and protect the safety of other citizens.)
• 企业应当建立畅通的内部申诉渠道，从根本上化解矛盾，避免员工因积怨过深而走上闹事的极端。(Companies should establish effective internal grievance channels to resolve conflicts at the root and prevent employees from resorting to causing public disturbances out of deep-seated resentment.)

Don't Say

• 用'闹事'描述小孩子普通的吵闹行为 — 闹事 implies deliberately causing social disorder or public disruption; for children being noisy or mischievous, use 捣蛋 or 胡闹

Origin & History

闹(noisy/to make a fuss) + 事(matter/affair/trouble). Together: to stir up a fuss over some matter — to cause trouble.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal