焦頭爛額

Chinese

		burnt; scorched; worried burnt; scorched; worried; anxious	head; (noun suffix)	rotten; decayed; well-cooked rotten; decayed; well-cooked; mushy; broken; bad; to decay; completely	volume; amount; quantity volume; amount; quantity; forehead; quota
trad. (焦頭爛額)		焦	頭	爛	額
simp. (焦头烂额)		焦	头	烂	额
alternative forms		燋頭爛額／燋头烂额

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): jiāotóulàn'é

  (Zhuyin): ㄐㄧㄠ ㄊㄡˊ ㄌㄢˋ ㄜˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): ziu¹ tau⁴ laan⁶ ngaak⁶

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: jiāotóulàn'é
    • Zhuyin: ㄐㄧㄠ ㄊㄡˊ ㄌㄢˋ ㄜˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jiaotóulàn-é
    • Wade–Giles: chiao¹-tʻou²-lan⁴-o²
    • Yale: jyāu-tóu-làn-é
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jiautourlanner
    • Palladius: цзяотоуланьэ (czjaotoulanʹe)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵⁵ tʰoʊ̯³⁵ län⁵¹ ˀɤ³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: ziu¹ tau⁴ laan⁶ ngaak⁶
    • Yale: jīu tàuh laahn ngaahk
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dziu¹ tau⁴ laan⁶ ngaak⁹
    • Guangdong Romanization: jiu¹ teo⁴ lan⁶ ngag⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡siːu̯⁵⁵ tʰɐu̯²¹ laːn²² ŋaːk̚²/

Idiom

焦頭爛額

1. (literally) to be scorched by the flames

   • 今論功而請賓，曲突徙薪亡恩澤，焦頭爛額為上客耶？ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     今论功而请宾，曲突徙薪亡恩泽，焦头烂额为上客耶？ [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Book of Han, circa 1^st century CE

     Jīn lùn gōng ér qǐng bīn, qūtūxǐxīn wáng ēnzé, jiāotóulàn'é wèi shàngkè yē? [Pinyin]

     Now you are inviting people according to their contributions, then how can you forget the mercy of the person that told you to replace the chimney with a crooked one and move the firewood away, but let those people got burnt seriously be the important guests?"

2. (figurative) in a sorry plight; hard-pressed; overwrought; in trouble; overwhelmed

   為了趕在年底完成這項目，團隊最近是忙得焦頭爛額。 [MSC, trad.]
   为了赶在年底完成这项目，团队最近是忙得焦头烂额。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wèile gǎn zài niándǐ wánchéng zhè xiàngmù, tuánduì zuìjìn shì máng dé jiāotóulàn'é. [Pinyin]

   In order to finish the project before the end of this year, our team has been overwhelmingly busy recently.