麻煩

See also: 麻烦

Chinese

		(to have) pins and needles; tingling; hemp (to have) pins and needles; tingling; hemp; numb; to bother	feel vexed; to bother
trad. (麻煩)		麻	煩
simp. (麻烦)		麻	烦

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): máfan

  (Zhuyin): ㄇㄚˊ ˙ㄈㄢ

  (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): мафан (mafan, I-II)

• Cantonese (Jyutping): maa⁴ faan⁴
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): mà-fàn

  (Meixian, Guangdong): ma² fan²

• Eastern Min (BUC): mà-huàng
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): mâ-hoân

  (Teochew, Peng'im): mua⁵ huêng⁵ / mua⁵ huang⁵ / mua⁵ huam⁵

• Wu (Northern, Wugniu): ⁶mo-ve₆ / ⁶mo₂-ve₂

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: máfan
    • Zhuyin: ㄇㄚˊ ˙ㄈㄢ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: máfån
    • Wade–Giles: ma²-fan⁵
    • Yale: má-fan
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: ma.fan
    • Palladius: мафань (mafanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mä³⁵ fän³/
  • (Dungan)
    • Cyrillic and Wiktionary: мафан (mafan, I-II)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ma²⁴ fæ̃⁵¹/

    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: maa⁴ faan⁴
    • Yale: màh fàahn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: maa⁴ faan⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: ma⁴ fan⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /maː²¹ faːn²¹/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: mà-fàn
    • Hakka Romanization System: ma^ˇ fan^ˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: ma² fan²
    • Sinological IPA: /ma¹¹ fan¹¹/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: ma² fan²
    • Sinological IPA: /ma¹¹ fan¹¹/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: mà-huàng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ma⁵³⁻³³ ^(h-)uaŋ⁵³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese, Penang, Singapore, Philippines)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: mâ-hoân
    • Tâi-lô: mâ-huân
    • Phofsit Daibuun: ma'hoaan
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /mã²³⁻³³ huan²³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /mã¹³⁻²² huan¹³/
    • IPA (Philippines): /ma²⁴⁻²² huan²⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /mã²⁴⁻¹¹ huan²⁴/
    • IPA (Penang): /ma²³⁻²¹ huan²³/
    • IPA (Singapore): /ma²⁴⁻²¹ huan²⁴/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Quanzhou): /mã²⁴⁻²² huan²⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: mua⁵ huêng⁵ / mua⁵ huang⁵ / mua⁵ huam⁵
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: muâ huêng / muâ huâng / muâ huâm
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mua⁵⁵⁻¹¹ hueŋ⁵⁵/, /mua⁵⁵⁻¹¹ huaŋ⁵⁵/, /mua⁵⁵⁻¹¹ huam⁵⁵/

Note:

• mua5 huêng5 - Chaozhou;
• mua5 huang5 - Shantou;
• mua5 huam5 - Jieyang, Pontianak.

• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁶mo-ve₆
    • MiniDict: mo^去 ve^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³mo-ve₃
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /mo²² ve⁴⁴/
  • (Northern: Suzhou)
    • Wugniu: ⁶mo₂-ve₂
    • MiniDict: mo^平 ve^平
    • Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /mo²³ ve¹¹/

Adjective

麻煩

1. involving a hassle; troublesome; annoying

   很麻煩的事／很麻烦的事  ―  hěn máfan de shì  ―  hassle

Synonyms

edit

• 傷腦 / 伤脑 (shāngnǎo) (informal)
• 傷腦筋 / 伤脑筋 (shāng nǎojīn) (informal)
• 刺手 (cìshǒu)
• 囉嗦 / 啰嗦 (luōsuo)
• 扎手 (zhāshǒu)
• 棘手 (jíshǒu)
• 歹紡 / 歹纺 (Xiamen Hokkien, Taiwanese Hokkien)
• 歹辦 / 歹办 (Quanzhou Hokkien, Xiamen Hokkien)
• 䆀紡 / 䆀纺 (Zhangzhou Hokkien)
• 䆀辦 / 䆀办 (Zhangzhou Hokkien)
• 累贅 / 累赘
• 纏手 / 缠手 (chánshǒu) (figurative)
• 觸纏 / 触缠 (Quanzhou Hokkien, Xiamen Hokkien, Taiwanese Hokkien)
• 費事 / 费事 (fèishì)
• 費氣 / 费气 (Hakka, Hokkien)
• 費潲氣 / 费潲气 (Hokkien)
• 辣手 (làshǒu)
• 鑿手 / 凿手 (Hokkien)
• 難辦 / 难办 (nánbàn)

Verb

麻煩

1. (polite) to trouble; to bother

   麻煩你了。／麻烦你了。  ―  Máfan nǐ le.  ―  Sorry to trouble you.

   麻煩大家過來一下。 [MSC, trad.]
   麻烦大家过来一下。 [MSC, simp.]

   Máfan dàjiā guòlái yīxià. [Pinyin]

   Could everyone please come here?

   麻煩您幫我接通書記辦公室的電話，好嗎？ [MSC, trad.]
   麻烦您帮我接通书记办公室的电话，好吗？ [MSC, simp.]

   Máfan nín bāng wǒ jiētōng shūjì bàngōngshì de diànhuà, hǎo ma? [Pinyin]

   Could you please connect me to the secretary's office?

Synonyms

edit

• 交仗 (Taiwanese Hokkien)
• 付託 / 付托 (fùtuō)
• 勞慰 / 劳慰 (nao² wei⁴) (Sichuanese, polite)
• 勞累 / 劳累 (láolèi) (polite)
• 囑託 / 嘱托 (zhǔtuō)
• 委託 / 委托 (wěituō)
• 寄 (jì)
• 寄託 / 寄托 (jìtuō)
• 打擾 / 打扰 (dǎrǎo) (polite)
• 拜託 / 拜托 (bàituō) (polite)
• 煩 / 烦 (fán) (polite)
• 相煩 / 相烦 (xiāngfán) (polite)
• 託付 / 托付 (tuōfù)
• 託管 / 托管 (tuōguǎn)
• 辛苦 (xīnkǔ) (polite)
• 齪嘈 / 龊嘈 (Zhangzhou Hokkien, Taiwanese Hokkien)

Noun

麻煩

1. cross to bear; jam; trouble; problem

   為別人帶來麻煩 [MSC, trad.]
   为别人带来麻烦 [MSC, simp.]

   wèi biérén dàilái máfan [Pinyin]

   to bring trouble to others

   你在自找麻煩！／你在自找麻烦！  ―  Nǐ zài zìzhǎo máfan!  ―  You're asking for trouble!

   他發現自己有麻煩了。 [MSC, trad.]
   他发现自己有麻烦了。 [MSC, simp.]

   Tā fāxiàn zìjǐ yǒu máfan le. [Pinyin]

   He found himself in a jam.

   這事還真成了麻煩了。 [MSC, trad.]
   这事还真成了麻烦了。 [MSC, simp.]

   Zhè shì hái zhēn chéng le máfan le. [Pinyin]

   This has really become a problem.

Synonyms

edit

• 問題 / 问题 (wèntí)
• 婁子 / 娄子 (lóuzi) (colloquial)
• 疑難 / 疑难 (yínán)
• 矛盾
• 茶包 (chábāo) (slang)
• 難題 / 难题 (nántí)
• 難點 / 难点 (nándiǎn)

Derived terms

• 惹麻煩 / 惹麻烦 (rě máfan)
• 添麻煩 / 添麻烦 (tiānmáfan)

Further reading

• “麻煩”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2025.