焦头烂额

Traditional: 焦頭爛額

jiāo tóu làn é

Dictionary entry

lit. badly burned about the head (from trying to put out a fire) (idiom)

What does 焦头烂额 mean?

焦头烂额 (jiāo tóu làn é) has the following dictionary meaning.

1lit. badly burned about the head (from trying to put out a fire) (idiom)

2fig. hard-pressed; under pressure (from a heavy workload, creditors etc)

Character breakdown

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焦Jiāosurname Jiao 头tóuhead · hair style 烂lànsoft; mushy · well-cooked and soft 额évariant of 額|额[e2]

Reviewed examples

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How to pronounce 焦头烂额

焦头烂额

jiāo tóu làn é

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Base dictionary data: CC-CEDICT · CC BY-SA 4.0.