焦头烂额

焦頭爛額

jiāotóulàn'é

idiom #16,863

Meanings

1 to be in a terrible fix
2 hard-pressed
3 under great pressure
4 battered and exhausted

Characters

scorched; anxious

Literally 'scorched head, rotten forehead' — from trying to put out a fire, now means overwhelmed by problems.

Examples

年底的工作让他焦头烂额。

Niándǐ de gōngzuò ràng tā jiāotóulàn'é.

The year-end work left him overwhelmed.

这件事搞得我焦头烂额。

Zhè jiàn shì gǎo de wǒ jiāotóulàn'é.

This matter has me at my wit's end.

Tips

history

From a Han Dynasty story: a man warned his host that the chimney was too close to the firewood. The host ignored him, and when a fire broke out, the helpers who fought it got their heads burned (焦头烂额). The moral: reward the one who prevents disaster, not just those who fight it.

Stroke Order

焦 jiāo

头 tóu

烂 làn

额 é