ziu1 tau4 laan6 ngaak6焦頭爛額焦头烂额
Jyutpingziu1 tau4 laan6 ngaak6
Yalejīu tàuh laahn ngaahk
Definition
In a terrible state or badly bruised from one's own failures or mistakes.
colloquialemotionwork
How it's used
This idiom describes someone who is overwhelmed by a situation, often due to poor planning or taking on too much responsibility. While it can refer to physical exhaustion, it is frequently used to describe the mental and logistical chaos of being buried under work or personal problems. It carries a sense of pity or frustration toward the person who has landed themselves in such a difficult spot.
Examples
He has been so busy lately that he is in a total mess and doesn't even have time to eat.
You've made such a mess of yourself, what is all this for anyway?
Related words
Common phrases
busy to the point of being overwhelmed
to end up in a sorry state
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a purely physical injury, but it is almost always used metaphorically to describe a state of extreme stress, being overwhelmed, or having one's plans fall apart.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
