adjective / adverb HSK 5
Traditional 紛
numerous and confused · disorderly · in profusion
Meaning
纷 describes a scene of many things happening at once in a chaotic, disorderly, or profuse manner. It often conveys a sense of things being mixed up or scattered, like falling snow, tangled threads, or confusing opinions. Rarely used alone in modern Chinese, it typically appears in compounds.
Usage
In contemporary Mandarin, 纷 almost never stands alone. It's most commonly seen in set phrases like 纷纷 (one after another, in succession), 纷争 (dispute), 纷乱 (chaotic), and 纷扰 (turmoil). The character itself carries a literary or formal register.
Examples
- 01听到这个消息，大家议论纷纷。, .Upon hearing this news, everyone had different opinions.
- 02窗外大雪纷飞，整个城市银装素裹。, .Outside the window, snow was falling heavily, and the whole city was wrapped in silver.
Common collocations
- 纷纷扬扬(of snow, etc.) falling thickly
- 议论纷纷opinions differ widely
- 大雪纷飞snow falling heavily
- 纷至沓来to come in a continuous stream
Antonyms
Origin
The traditional form 紛 combines the silk radical 糸 (suggesting tangled threads) with 分 (to divide, separate), originally depicting silk threads becoming confused and separated, hence 'disorderly' or 'chaotic'.