兵荒马乱 Chaos and Disorder
Explanation
兵荒马乱是一个成语，形容战争期间社会混乱不安的景象，人民生活颠沛流离，秩序混乱不堪。它出自元代无名氏的戏曲《梧桐叶》第四折：“那兵荒马乱，定然遭驱被掳。”
Bing huang ma luan is a Chinese idiom that describes the chaotic and unrestful situation in society during war. People live in hardship and misery, and order is completely disrupted. It comes from the fourth act of the play "梧桐叶" by the anonymous author of the Yuan Dynasty: "那兵荒马乱，定然遭驱被掳。"
Origin Story
春秋时期，吴王夫差灭了越国后，势力日益强大，开始向周边国家扩张。他率领着吴兵，攻打陈国，陈国君主仓皇逃窜，百姓流离失所，整个国家陷入了兵荒马乱的局面。孔子带领弟子们周游列国，当时正好在陈国闲居，等待被封官。面对陈国混乱的状况，孔子没有慌张，而是继续按计划主持祭祀仪式。祭祀过程中，吴兵突然攻打陈国，眼看着就要包围了祭祀台。孔子的弟子们十分害怕，急忙劝他逃走，可孔子却镇定自若地说：“天将降大任于斯人也，必先苦其心志，劳其筋骨，饿其体肤，空乏其身，行拂乱其所为，所以动心忍性，曾益其所不能。”他的弟子们这才明白，老师这是在磨练自己的意志，即使身处兵荒马乱之中，也能够保持初心，最终完成自己的使命。
During the Spring and Autumn Period, after King Fu Chai of Wu destroyed the Kingdom of Yue, he became increasingly powerful and began to expand into neighboring countries. He led his Wu army to attack the Kingdom of Chen, the king of Chen fled in panic and the people were displaced. The whole country was in chaos. Confucius traveled with his disciples through the various countries, and was at that time staying in Chen, waiting to be appointed to an official position. Faced with the chaos in Chen, Confucius did not panic, but continued to conduct the planned sacrificial ceremony. During the ceremony, Wu soldiers suddenly attacked Chen and threatened to surround the sacrificial altar. Confucius' disciples were very afraid and urged him to flee, but Confucius remained calm and said: “When Heaven is about to bestow a great responsibility on any man, it will first test his mind and will by suffering, toil, hunger, and poverty. It will frustrate his plans and confuse his actions, so that he may be strengthened by adversity and become capable of achieving great things. “ His disciples then understood that their teacher was tempering his will, even in the midst of chaos, to maintain his original intention and ultimately fulfill his mission.
Usage
兵荒马乱”这个成语通常用来形容战争时期社会混乱不安的景象，也用来比喻其他事物混乱无序的状态。
The idiom "Bing huang ma luan" is usually used to describe the chaotic and unrestful situation in society during war, but also to illustrate the chaotic and disorderly state of other things.
Examples
-
战争期间，社会十分混乱，到处都是兵荒马乱的景象。
bing huang ma luan de jing xiang
During the war, society was very chaotic, everywhere was in chaos.
-
他虽然很努力，但是工作能力有限，做事总是兵荒马乱。
ta sui ran hen nu li, dan shi gong zuo neng li you xian, zuo shi zong shi bing huang ma luan
He works hard, but his ability is limited, he always does things in a mess.
-
由于经济不景气，公司内部也出现了兵荒马乱的局面。
you yu jing ji bu jing qi, gong si nei bu ye chu xian le bing huang ma luan de ju mian
Due to the economic downturn, the company also experienced a chaotic situation.
-
经历了这场突如其来的灾难，整个城市都陷入兵荒马乱之中。
jing li le zhe chang tu ru qi lai de zai nan, zheng ge cheng shi dou ruan ru bing huang ma luan zhi zhong
The whole city was in chaos after the sudden disaster.
-
在得知公司要裁员的消息后，整个办公室都变得兵荒马乱
zai de zhi gong si yao cai yuan de xiao xi hou, zheng ge ban gong shi dou bian de bing huang ma luan
The whole office became chaotic after the news of layoffs in the company.