乱七八糟luàn qī bā zāochaotic; in disorder; muddled

1. 1.

   chaotic; in disorder; muddledidiom

Figurative meaning

Chaotic; in disorder; muddled.

• 乱in confusion or disorder
• 七not compositional here
• 八not compositional here
• 糟messy

No attested origin story

乱七八糟 is informal and often describes a place or things, and it can also describe someone's thoughts.

1. HSK 1

   他的房间乱七八糟的。

   Tā de fángjiān luàn qī bā zāo de.

   His room is a total mess.

2. HSK 4

   桌子上的东西乱七八糟，你收拾一下吧。

   Zhuōzi shang de dōngxi luàn qī bā zāo, nǐ shōushi yíxià ba.

   The things on the table are in disorder. Please tidy them up.

3. HSK 3

   我心里乱七八糟的，不知道怎么办。

   Wǒ xīnli luàn qī bā zāo de, bù zhīdào zěnme bàn.

   My head is all muddled, and I don't know what to do.

1. 
   Speaker A:

   你的房间怎么这么乱？

   Nǐ de fángjiān zěnme zhème luàn?

   Why is your room so messy?

2. 
   Speaker B:

   我这几天太忙了。

   Wǒ zhè jǐ tiān tài máng le.

   I've been too busy these last few days.

3. 
   Speaker A:

   东西乱七八糟的，快收拾一下吧。

   Dōngxi luàn qī bā zāo de, kuài shōushi yíxià ba.

   Your things are all over the place. Hurry up and tidy them.

4. 
   Speaker B:

   好，我今天晚上就收拾。

   Hǎo, wǒ jīntiān wǎnshang jiù shōushi.

   OK, I'll tidy up tonight.

1. 1.What does 乱七八糟 mean?

   AChaoticBVery cleanCVery quiet
2. 2.Which sentence uses 乱七八糟 correctly?

   A他的房间乱七八糟的。B他的房间乱七八糟的，很干净。C我乱七八糟地吃饭。
3. 3.Which word fits best? 桌子上的东西____，你收拾一下吧。 (The things on the table are in disorder. Please tidy them up.)

   A一举两得B乱七八糟C津津有味

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Related idioms

• 半斤八两bàn jīn bā liǎngnot much to choose between the twoNot on the HSK 3.0 syllabus
• 一举两得yì jǔ liǎng détwo birds with one stoneHSK 7–9
• 一如既往yì rú jì wǎng(idiom) just as in the past; as before; continuing as alwaysHSK 7–9
• 一目了然yí mù liǎo ránobvious at a glance (idiom)HSK 7–9
• 不可思议bù kě sī yìinconceivable; unimaginable; unfathomableHSK 7–9
• 不知不觉bù zhī bù jué(idiom) unconsciously; unwittinglyHSK 7–9

Browse every entry in the Chinese idioms dictionary.