纠缠不清

糾纏不清

jiūchán-bùqīng

idiom

Meanings

1 hopelessly tangled
2 inextricably muddled

Characters

to twist, entangle

Examples

这笔账纠缠不清，很难算清楚。

Zhèbǐ zhàng jiūchán-bùqīng, hěn nán suàn qīngchu.

These accounts are hopelessly tangled and hard to sort out.

别再跟他纠缠不清了。

Bié zài gēn tā jiūchán-bùqīng le.

Stop getting entangled with him.

Tips

memory

纠 (twisted rope) + 缠 (to wind around) + 不清 (can't clear up) — three images of things wrapped in each other. Picture unwinding tangled headphone wires.

Stroke Order

纠 jiū

缠 chán

不 bù

清 qīng