扰乱

• Pinyin: rǎo luàn
• Hanzi breakdown: 扰 = 扌 + 尧 (hand + agitate — to disturb with one's hands); 乱 = 舌 + 乙 (tongue + twisting — tangled and disordered)

Meaning

To disrupt; to disturb order or peace; to throw into confusion or chaos. Used for disrupting social order, plans, mental states, or operational systems.

Used in legal (扰乱社会秩序 — disrupt public order), psychological (扰乱心神 — disturb the mind), and tactical/military contexts. Stronger than 打扰, implying systemic or large-scale disruption rather than a personal inconvenience.

Examples

1. 黑客攻击扰乱了多家银行的核心结算系统，导致数万笔交易无法正常完成。 A hacker attack disrupted several banks’ core settlement systems, leaving tens of thousands of transactions unable to be completed normally.
2. 故意散布谣言以扰乱社会秩序的行为在法律上将受到相应的行政处罚乃至刑事追诉。 Deliberately spreading rumors to disrupt public order can lead to corresponding administrative penalties and even criminal prosecution.
3. 敌方利用密集的电子战手段扰乱了我方的通信系统和作战部署。 The enemy used intensive electronic warfare to disrupt our communications systems and operational deployments.

Usage Guide

Context: legal, cybersecurity, military, social order

Tone: negative

Do Say

• 不法分子试图通过发布大量虚假信息来扰乱金融市场秩序，相关监管部门已对此展开调查。(Criminal elements attempted to disrupt financial market order by disseminating large quantities of false information; the relevant regulatory authorities have launched an investigation into the matter.)
• 长期睡眠不足会严重扰乱人体的内分泌平衡，进而引发一系列慢性健康问题。(Chronic sleep deprivation can seriously disrupt the body's endocrine balance, thereby triggering a series of chronic health problems.)

Don't Say

• 这首歌扰乱了我的心情 — use 这首歌搅乱了我的心绪 or 这首歌让我情绪波动; 扰乱 implies systematic or forceful disruption and sounds overly strong for a mild emotional reaction to music

Origin & History

扰 (disturb/harass) + 乱 (chaotic/disorder) — to disturb until chaos and disorder ensue

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal