纠缠不清

糾纏不清

jiūchánbùqīng

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。

Zhè bǐ 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