What does 盘根错节 mean?

盘根错节 (pán gēn cuò jié) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Intricate and complex”.

How do you pronounce 盘根错节?

盘根错节 is pronounced pán gēn cuò jié in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 盘根错节 literally mean?

Literally, 盘根错节 means “tangled roots and gnarled branches”. It is used to mean “Intricate and complex”.

Where does 盘根错节 come from?

盘根错节 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 盘根错节?

盘：盘曲；错：交错；节：枝节。树木的根枝盘旋交错。比喻事情纷难复杂。

盘根错节 — “Intricate and complex”

盘根错节 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Intricate and complex”. Deeply entrenched and difficult to resolve or untangle. Literally, “tangled roots and gnarled branches”.

Frequency

盘根错节 Pronunciation and Pinyin

盘pán
根gēn
错cuò
节jié

盘根错节 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
盘	pán	11	plate, coil, examine, transfer
根	gēn	10	root, foundation, or basis
错	cuò	13	wrong, miss, or interlace
节	jié	6	joint, festival, section, save

Example Sentence with 盘根错节

这个项目涉及的问题盘根错节，需要我们投入更多时间和精力去解决。

The problems involved in this project are intricate and complex, requiring us to invest more time and effort to resolve them.

Origin and Story of 盘根错节

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, a scholar named Yu Xu was invited by Grand Commandant Li Xiu to serve as an official.

When the Western Qiang suddenly invaded, Yu Xu had disagreements with General Deng Zhi regarding military strategy, which led to conflicts.

Later, Deng Zhi found an opportunity for revenge and transferred Yu Xu to serve in Chaoge.

However, Yu Xu viewed this as a positive development, believing that just as one should choose to cut down trees with deeply entrenched roots and gnarled branches to truly demonstrate the sharpness of an axe, he welcomed challenging tasks.

Idioms Related to 盘根错节

Synonyms of 盘根错节

Antonyms of 盘根错节

jiǎn简míng明è扼yào要concise and to the point

More idioms starting with 盘

Questions about 盘根错节

What does 盘根错节 mean?: 盘根错节 (pán gēn cuò jié) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Intricate and complex”.
How do you pronounce 盘根错节?: 盘根错节 is pronounced pán gēn cuò jié in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 盘根错节 literally mean?: Literally, 盘根错节 means “tangled roots and gnarled branches”. It is used to mean “Intricate and complex”.
Where does 盘根错节 come from?: 盘根错节 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 盘根错节?: 盘：盘曲；错：交错；节：枝节。树木的根枝盘旋交错。比喻事情纷难复杂。

Copy the pinyin for 盘根错节 →Choose tone marks or tone numbers and copy the complete four-character reading.Read Chinese vocabulary and idiom guides →Continue with words, phrases, and idioms explained through natural examples.