乱作一团

亂作一團

luànzuòyītuán

idiom

Meanings

Xiāoxi chuánlái, xiànchǎng luànzuòyītuán.

When the news arrived, the scene descended into chaos.

Háizimen yī jìn jiàoshì jiù luànzuòyītuán.

The kids burst into the classroom and immediately it was pandemonium.

history

Used by Lu Xun in 《热风·随感录三十三》, describing a muddled mix of Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist, and Christian ideas: 乱作一团.

usage

Describes messy situations — crowds, rooms, schedules, arguments. Stronger and more visual than simple 混乱.

乱 luàn

作 zuò

一 yī

团 tuán