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心亂如麻

简心乱如麻 · 繁心亂如麻

Mandarin · pinyin xīn luàn rú má

one's thoughts in a whirl (idiom); confused
disconcerted
upset

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Characters in this entry

心: xīn · heart; mind, intelligence; soul; 5th lunar mansion, determinative star α Scorpii (Antares)
亂: Look up this written character
如: rú · if, supposing; as if; like, as
麻: má · hemp, jute, flax; sesame; Kangxi radical 200
乱: luàn · confusion, state of chaos, revolt

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–4–2–2 · xin1 luan4 ru2 ma2

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

心亂如麻 · find source passages ↗ · 心乱如麻 · find source passages ↗

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(simile) to have one's mind as confused as a tangled skein; to be utterly confused and disconcerted; to be terribly upset

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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