颠三倒四 diān sān dǎo sì topsy-turvy

Explanation

形容说话做事错杂紊乱，没有条理。

Describes someone who speaks or acts in a confused, muddled, and disorganized manner.

Origin Story

从前，有个书生叫小李，他准备参加科举考试。为了复习，他把所有的书都堆在桌子上，结果越看越乱，笔记也记了一大堆，完全没有条理。到了考试那天，小李拿着自己颠三倒四的笔记，进考场后，却发现什么也写不出来，因为他自己都弄不清楚自己的思路。最后，小李落榜了，他这才明白，学习和做任何事情都需要有条理，否则只会事倍功半。

cóng qián, yǒu gè shū shēng jiào xiǎo lǐ, tā zhǔnbèi cānjiā kē jǔ kǎoshì. wèile fùxí, tā bǎ suǒyǒu de shū dōu duī zài zhuōzi shang, jiéguǒ yuè kàn yuè luàn, bǐjì yě jì le yī dà duī, wánquán méiyǒu tiáolǐ. dàole kǎoshì nà tiān, xiǎo lǐ ná zhe zìjǐ diān sān dǎo sì de bǐjì, jìn kǎochǎng hòu, què fāxiàn shénme yě xiě bù chū lái, yīnwèi tā zìjǐ dōu nòng bù qīngchu zìjǐ de sīlù. zuìhòu, xiǎo lǐ luò bǎng le, tā zhè cái míngbái, xuéxí hé zuò rènhé shìqíng dōu xūyào yǒu tiáolǐ, fǒuzé zhǐ huì shì bèi gōng bàn

Once upon a time, there was a scholar named Xiao Li who was preparing for the imperial examinations. To study, he piled all his books on his desk, but the more he read, the more chaotic it became, and his notes turned into a confusing mess. On the day of the exam, Xiao Li entered the examination hall with his disorganized notes, but found he couldn't write anything because he couldn't sort out his thoughts. In the end, Xiao Li failed the exam. Only then did he realize that learning and doing anything requires order and structure, otherwise one will only have more trouble than success.

Usage

用于形容说话或做事杂乱无章，没有条理。

yòng yú xiāo róng shuō huà huò zuò shì zá luàn wú zhāng, méiyǒu tiáolǐ

Used to describe someone who speaks or acts in a disorganized and chaotic manner.

Examples

• 他说话颠三倒四，让人难以理解。

  tā shuō huà diān sān dǎo sì, ràng rén nán yǐ lǐjiě

  His speech was rambling and incoherent.

• 这篇文章写得颠三倒四，毫无逻辑可言。

  zhè piān wén zhāng xiě de diān sān dǎo sì, háo wú luó jì kě yán

  This article is written in a disorganized and illogical manner.

Related Idioms

• 语无伦次

• 乱七八糟

• 杂乱无章

Opposite Idioms

• 有条不紊

• 井然有序

• 有条有理