muddled
muddled — 形容詞
1. If a situation, plan, or piece of writing is muddled, its parts are arranged wit
雜亂的
事物編排無條理而難以理解
If a situation, plan, or piece of writing is muddled, its parts are arranged without a clear order, so it is hard to follow or use.
Diya found the project schedule completely muddled, with deadlines listed out of order.
Diya 發現專案時程整個亂七八糟，截止日期的順序都被打亂了。
predicative use: be muddled (of a plan/document)
The instructions for assembling the bookshelf were so muddled that Pedro gave up halfway.
那份書架的組裝說明寫得太亂，Pedro 拼到一半就放棄了。
intensifier: so muddled that + result clause
Emma rewrote her muddled essay after her teacher said the paragraphs jumped between topics.
Emma 在老師說段落跳來跳去後，重寫了自己這篇雜亂的文章。
There was a muddled list of names on the noticeboard, and nobody could find their group.
公佈欄上貼著一張雜亂的名單，沒有人能找到自己的組別。
- disorganized
neutral; broader scope than muddled
- jumbled
stresses random ordering of items
- incoherent
formal; usually of speech or writing
用法筆記
Subject is typically a piece of writing, a plan, instructions, or a system — something with parts that should follow an order. Distinguish from sense 2, which describes a person's mental state.
常見錯誤
2. Used about a person to mean that the person cannot think clearly and keeps mixin
頭腦不清的
人腦袋發昏，記憶與思緒打結
Used about a person to mean that the person cannot think clearly and keeps mixing up facts, ideas, or steps.
After two nights of poor sleep, Tamar felt muddled and forgot her own phone number.
連續兩晚沒睡好之後，Tamar 整個人頭腦不清，連自己的電話號碼都忘了。
predicative: feel/be muddled (of a person)
Tuan got muddled halfway through the recipe and added sugar instead of salt.
Tuan 做菜做到一半就糊塗了，把糖當成鹽放進去。
get muddled + while/halfway through + activity
Bilal looked muddled when the lecturer switched topics without warning.
當講者突然換主題時，Bilal 看起來一臉茫然、思緒打結。
Amani's grandmother gets a little muddled in the afternoons but is fine in the morning.
Amani 的奶奶一到下午就有點頭腦不清，早上倒是好好的。
- confused
more general; covers any temporary inability to think clearly
- disoriented
often after shock, illness, or a strange place
- befuddled
slightly literary; suggests slow-witted confusion
- clear-headed
able to think straight
- lucid
formal; especially of speech or thought
用法筆記
Subject is a person (or the person's mind). Common with linking verbs: be / feel / get / look / sound + muddled. Distinguish from sense 1, which describes a thing or arrangement.
常見錯誤
muddled — 動詞
1. To accidentally combine two or more pieces of information, names, or items so th
搞混；弄錯
把兩件以上的資訊或對象配錯
To accidentally combine two or more pieces of information, names, or items so that they are no longer in the right order or matched correctly.
Tyler muddled the dates of the two meetings and arrived a week early.
Tyler 把兩場會議的日期搞混了，結果早了一週到場。
object: dates / names / appointments — typical sense-1 targets
The new teacher kept muddling the twins because their hair was almost identical.
因為髮型幾乎一模一樣，新來的老師一直把那對雙胞胎認錯。
muddle + person and person — confusing identities
Inês muddled her brother's address with her cousin's and sent the parcel to the wrong house.
Inês 把哥哥的地址跟堂姊的搞混，包裹寄錯了人家。
Try not to muddle the lab samples; each tube must keep its original label.
請不要把實驗樣本搞混，每支試管都要保留原本的標籤。
- distinguish
tell apart correctly
文法句型
muddle + noun
muddle + noun + up
muddle + A and B
用法筆記
Object is normally a pair of items (dates, names, addresses, samples) that the speaker should have kept separate. Frequently followed by `with` or `and` to name what got mixed.
常見錯誤
2. To make somebody unable to think clearly because their senses have been dulled,
使昏沉
酒精、發燒等使人神智不清
To make somebody unable to think clearly because their senses have been dulled, especially by alcohol, illness, or extreme tiredness.
Two glasses of strong wine muddled Christopher and he had to sit down.
兩杯烈酒下肚就讓 Christopher 昏沉到必須坐下來。
subject: alcohol; object: a person
The fever had muddled Zayd so badly that he could not name the day of the week.
高燒讓 Zayd 神智不清到連今天星期幾都說不出。
subject: illness/fever; result: cannot recall basics
Heat and dehydration soon muddled the hikers, and the guide called for a long rest.
高溫加上脫水很快讓登山者一頭發暈，嚮導趕緊要大家長休一下。
A single brandy was enough to muddle Mizuki, who rarely drank anything stronger than tea.
只要一小杯白蘭地就足以讓 Mizuki 頭暈，她平常連比茶更烈的東西都很少喝。
- clear
as in 'clear the head' — opposite effect
文法句型
muddle + person (often with drink/heat)
用法筆記
Subject is a substance or condition that affects the brain (alcohol, fever, heat, fatigue), not a person who is deceiving someone. Slightly literary; everyday speech prefers `make … dizzy` or `cloud someone's mind`. Distinguish from sense 5, in which the person's own thinking is the topic.
常見錯誤
3. To stir, shuffle, or push physical objects around so they end up out of order an
弄亂
把實體物品翻動到失去原本順序
To stir, shuffle, or push physical objects around so they end up out of order and hard to sort again.
The puppy ran across the table and muddled all of Eve's playing cards.
小狗從桌上跑過，把 Eve 的整副撲克牌全弄亂了。
subject: a person or animal acting on physical objects
Please don't muddle the folders on my desk; the order matters for tomorrow's meeting.
拜託別把我桌上的資料夾弄亂，明天開會要照那個順序用。
imperative: don't muddle + physical items
The wind blew through the open window and muddled the loose papers on the floor.
風從敞開的窗戶吹進來，把地上散落的紙張吹得一塌糊塗。
Camila muddled the puzzle pieces back into the box once she realised she had lost interest.
Camila 發現自己已經沒興趣後，就把拼圖隨便一推塞回盒子裡。
- jumble
very close; emphasises random arrangement
- disarrange
more formal
- scramble
stronger; suggests fast disordering
文法句型
muddle + concrete noun (objects, papers, pile)
用法筆記
Object is concrete (papers, cards, files, pieces) that had a clear arrangement before. Distinguish from sense 1, where the things being mixed are pieces of information rather than physical items, and from sense 4, where the focus is on damaging the outcome of a task.
常見錯誤
4. To handle a task so poorly that the result is a mess, usually because of careles
搞砸；做壞
因疏忽或不熟而把事情辦壞
To handle a task so poorly that the result is a mess, usually because of carelessness or a lack of skill.
Pedro completely muddled the painting job and had to repaint the wall the next day.
Pedro 把油漆工作徹底搞砸，隔天只好把整面牆重漆一次。
muddle + task noun (job/attempt)
The committee muddled the booking and ended up reserving the wrong hall for the concert.
委員會把訂場搞砸了，最後替音樂會訂到錯誤的場地。
subject: a group; result clause names the mess
Élise muddled her first interview by forgetting the company's name halfway through.
Élise 第一次面試就搞砸了，講到一半竟然想不起公司的名字。
Tyler is afraid he will muddle the speech if he tries to memorise every line.
Tyler 擔心自己如果硬背每一句，反而會把演講搞砸。
文法句型
muddle + activity noun (job, plan, attempt)
用法筆記
Object is an activity (a job, a delivery, a speech, an interview) whose outcome turned out badly. Distinguish from sense 1, where the issue is mixing items, and sense 3, where physical objects are pushed around — here, the focus is the failed result.
常見錯誤
5. Of a person or group: to make slow, aimless progress, drifting from one step to
得過且過
沒有計畫地隨意推進事情
Of a person or group: to make slow, aimless progress, drifting from one step to the next without any real plan.
The new team muddled along for three weeks before anyone wrote a clear plan.
這個新團隊渾渾噩噩過了三週，才有人寫出一份清楚的計畫。
muddle along — common collocation
Zola is content to muddle through her university years without choosing a clear major.
Zola 沒選定主修科目，打算就這樣渾渾噩噩讀完大學。
muddle through + period of time
Without a manager, the small shop just muddled on until the owner returned from holiday.
沒有店長在，這家小店也只能得過且過地撐到老闆放假回來。
Diya prefers to plan every step and refuses to muddle through any project at work.
Diya 喜歡把每一步都規劃好，在工作上絕不容許自己得過且過。
- muddle through
phrasal use of the same verb
- drift
broader; suggests no goal at all
- stumble along
stresses near-failure rather than vagueness
文法句型
muddle along
muddle through
muddle on
用法筆記
Subject is a person or a group; the verb is intransitive and almost always travels with `along`, `through`, or `on`. Distinguish from sense 2, in which an external substance dulls the mind; here, the person is simply drifting.
常見錯誤
muddled — 名詞
1. A state in which a person's thoughts are unclear, so that they cannot decide, re
腦中混亂
腦袋一片糊塗、無法清楚決定
A state in which a person's thoughts are unclear, so that they cannot decide, remember, or explain something properly.
Tamar was in such a muddle after the long flight that she gave the taxi the wrong address.
Tamar 在長途班機後腦袋一片糊塗，連計程車地址都報錯了。
in such a muddle that + result
Christopher gets into a muddle whenever the bank asks for too many forms at once.
只要銀行一次要 Christopher 填太多表格，他就會整個腦袋打結。
get into a muddle — very common collocation
Mizuki's mind was in a muddle during the test and the answers would not come.
考試時 Mizuki 的腦袋陷入一片混亂，答案怎麼想都想不出來。
After three sleepless nights, Bilal felt his head sink into a complete muddle.
連三晚沒睡好之後，Bilal 感覺自己的腦袋整個陷進一團糊塗裡。
- clarity
clear thinking
文法句型
in a muddle
get into a muddle
用法筆記
Almost always appears with `in a` or `into a` — the prepositions are part of the meaning. Subject is a person, the person's mind, or the head. Distinguish from sense 2, which is about an external mess of things.
常見錯誤
2. A disordered collection of things, papers, or details that have ended up mixed t
一團亂
物品雜亂堆放且無條理
A disordered collection of things, papers, or details that have ended up mixed together with no clear arrangement.
Eve's desk was a muddle of receipts, cables, and half-finished coffee cups.
Eve 的書桌一團亂，堆著收據、電線跟喝到一半的咖啡杯。
a muddle of + plural items
Amani found the family photos in a muddle inside an old shoebox in the attic.
Amani 在閣樓那只舊鞋盒裡，找到一堆亂成一團的家族照片。
in a muddle inside/within + container
The whole filing system was a muddle, and nobody could locate last year's invoices.
整套檔案系統根本一團亂，沒有人找得到去年的發票。
Élise tipped her sewing basket onto the bed and stared at the muddle of thread spools.
Élise 把針線籃倒在床上，盯著那堆纏成一團的線軸發呆。
文法句型
a muddle of + plural noun
in a muddle (of things)
用法筆記
Refers to a tangible mess that you can see or sort, not the speaker's mental state. Common shape: `a muddle of + plural noun`. Distinguish from sense 1, which is about a person's thinking.