心烦意乱

心煩意亂

xīnfányìluàn

idiom #8,554

Meanings

1 terribly upset; agitated and confused
2 with one's mind in turmoil

Characters

annoyed; vexed; troubled

thought; intention; mind

chaotic; disordered; confused

Heart vexed, thoughts chaotic — a four-character idiom describing mental agitation.

Examples

考试前他心烦意乱，什么都看不进去。

Kǎoshì qián tā xīnfányìluàn, shénme dōu kàn bù jìnqù.

Before the exam he was so agitated he couldn't focus on anything.

她最近心烦意乱，因为工作压力太大。

Tā zuìjìn xīnfányìluàn, yīnwèi gōngzuò yālì tài dà.

She's been terribly upset recently because of too much work pressure.

别在我心烦意乱的时候烦我。

Bié zài wǒ xīnfányìluàn de shíhou fán wǒ.

Don't bother me when I'm this agitated.

Tips

usage

心烦意乱 describes a state where you're too upset to think straight — your heart is vexed and your mind is in chaos. It's commonly used in writing and speech to express emotional turmoil.

grammar

This is a parallel compound idiom (并列式成语): 心烦 (heart vexed) + 意乱 (mind chaotic). Both halves express the same idea with different words, a classic structure in Chinese four-character idioms.

Stroke Order

心 xīn

烦 fán

意 yì

乱 luàn