Kilo Lingo

(má fán) - trouble, hassle; troublesome, inconvenient in Mandarin

fán

Traditional: 麻煩

Line drawing of 麻烦
Coloured illustration of 麻烦
HSK 4
#414 of 5,000 Core 1000

Translation

trouble, hassle; troublesome, inconvenient

Word origin

麻烦 (máfan) 'trouble, troublesome' joins 麻 'hemp; numb, irritating' with 烦 'vexed, annoyed', a vivid pairing for something tiresome. 烦 is itself a compound of 火 (fire) and 页 (head), suggesting a hot, fevered head.

Origin
compound
Root
麻 (irritating) + 烦 (vexed)

Stroke order

Stroke order for 麻

Stroke order for 烦

Examples

Sorry to have troubled you.

This is really a hassle.

Could I trouble you for a moment?

Could I trouble you to hold it for me?

This matter has brought everyone trouble.

麻烦 (má fán) - trouble, hassle; troublesome, inconvenient.

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This word is part of lesson 9.