DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT
焦頭爛額
简 焦头烂额 · 繁 焦頭爛額Mandarin · pinyin jiāo tóu làn é
Meanings
- lit. badly burned about the head (from trying to put out a fire) (idiom)
- fig. hard-pressed; under pressure (from a heavy workload, creditors etc)
Characters in this entry
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
1–2–4–2 · jiao1 tou2 lan4 e2
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
5character links
Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
ziu1 tau4 laan6 ngaak6
Cantonese word readings for 焦頭爛額. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
ziu1 tau4 laan6 ngaak6
Pleco · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Word reading; meanings not aligned.
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
phrase
- (literally) to be scorched by the flames
- (figurative) in a sorry plight; hard-pressed; overwrought; in trouble; overwhelmed
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack