📖 Meaning
Describes the chaotic and unsettling state of society during times of war. It paints a picture of fleeing troops, restless cavalry, and displaced civilians caught in wartime turmoil. The phrase evokes a sense of disorder, fear, and disruption of normal life.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Ming dynasty play 'Shuang Feng Ji' (双凤记) by the playwright Lu Huafu (陆华甫), specifically in its twenty-first act. The original line reads, 'In wild confusion they flee east and west, in noisy tumult soldiers panic and horses run amok, all the way back, still panting for breath.' The line depicts the chaotic scene of people rushing home in terror amid wartime upheaval. The expression later became a set phrase used to characterize the turmoil and social dislocation brought on by armed conflict.
💡 Example Usage
在兵慌马乱的年代里，百姓们四处逃难，苦不堪言。
In those chaotic wartime years, the common people fled in all directions, suffering untold misery.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 兵慌马乱
- Pinyin: bīng huāng mǎ luàn
- Literal Translation: soldiers, panicked, horses, chaotic
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4