紊乱

• Pinyin: wěn luàn
• Hanzi breakdown: 紊 = 文 + 糸 (tangled silk threads — a pattern disrupted); 乱 = 乙 + 舌 simplified (chaos — tongue untied, disorder)

Meaning

Chaotic; disordered; confused; in a state of systemic disorder. Describes a system, state, or situation that lacks order and has become seriously disrupted.

Used in medical (心律紊乱 = cardiac arrhythmia, 内分泌紊乱 = endocrine disorder), psychological (思维紊乱 = disorganised thinking), and organisational contexts. More formal and severe than 乱 alone, implying deep systemic disruption rather than surface messiness.

Examples

1. 长期熬夜会导致生物钟紊乱，进而影响免疫系统和整体代谢功能。 Staying up late for a long time can throw your body clock out of balance, which in turn affects your immune system and overall metabolism.
2. 公司管理层的频繁变动导致内部秩序紊乱，员工士气持续低落。 Frequent turnover in the company’s management threw internal operations into disarray, and employee morale kept sinking.
3. 她情绪紊乱了很长一段时间，直到接受专业心理咨询后才逐渐恢复平静。 Her emotions were in turmoil for a long time, and only gradually calmed down after receiving professional counseling.

Usage Guide

Context: medicine, management, psychology

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 他的作息时间极度紊乱，白天昏昏欲睡，夜晚却精神亢奋，已严重影响健康。(His daily schedule is in extreme disorder — drowsy during the day and over-stimulated at night — seriously affecting his health.)
• 这场突如其来的危机使整个供应链陷入紊乱，多家工厂被迫临时停产。(This sudden crisis threw the entire supply chain into disorder, forcing several factories to suspend production temporarily.)

Don't Say

• 他的房间很紊乱 — for a physically messy room, use 凌乱 or 乱糟糟; 紊乱 implies deep systemic disorder (biological, social, psychological), not mere physical untidiness

Origin & History

紊 (tangled threads, disordered pattern) + 乱 (chaos, disorder)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal