zhì​sī'ér​fén

to make a mess of things

Senses

治丝而棼/ 治絲而棼 zhì​sī'ér​fén to make a mess of things

to mess up something by mishandling it; to fail to find the right way to approach a problem and make it worse, like trying to untangle a silk thread only to tangle it further

References

variant 治丝而棼/治絲而棼 治丝益棼/治絲益棼
variant 治丝益棼/治絲益棼 治丝而棼/治絲而棼