复杂
complicated; complex
HSK level
- Pinyin
- fùzá
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Level
- HSK 4
- Strokes
- 15
- Register
- neutral
- In episodes
- 1
Stroke order for 复杂
复杂 is written with 15 strokes (复: 9, 杂: 6). The animation replays automatically.
What does 复杂 mean?
复杂 (fùzá) is an adjective meaning 'complicated, complex, or intricate' — made up of many interrelated parts, hard to sort out.
It describes situations (情况很复杂), problems (复杂的问题), procedures (手续复杂), relationships (关系复杂), and feelings (心情复杂, mixed feelings). It is neutral and very common. English speakers should note two things: first, 复杂 usually carries a mildly negative or burdensome tone — 'complicated' in the sense of troublesome — whereas English 'complex' can be admiring; to praise elegant complexity Chinese leans on other words.
Second, its direct antonym is 简单 (jiǎndān, simple), a pair worth learning together. 复杂 also describes emotional intricacy: 心情很复杂 means 'to feel conflicted / have mixed emotions.' The characters read 'repeated/layered + miscellaneous.'
Character by character
Memory hook: 复 (layered) + 杂 (mixed) = many layers all mixed together → complicated.
Hear 复杂 in real episodes
复杂 appears in 1 Fluentide podcast episode at natural native speed. Each sentence plays at the easiest difficulty it exists in — switch it to hear the same moment at your level, with full pinyin and English throughout.
今年和叶军一起获奖的，是德国物理学家布洛赫，他用激光把原子"摆"成格子，来模拟复杂的物质。
Sharing the prize with Jun Ye this year is German physicist Immanuel Bloch, who uses lasers to 'arrange' atoms into grids to simulate complex matter.
Jun Ye's Atomic Clock Won't Lose a Second in 15 Billion Years. Now He Has Won the Wolf Prize, Often a Step Before the Nobel.Intermediate
Example sentences
这个问题太复杂了，我需要想想。
Zhège wèntí tài fùzá le, wǒ xūyào xiǎngxiang.
This problem is too complicated, I need to think.
spoken
他们之间的关系很复杂。
Tāmen zhījiān de guānxi hěn fùzá.
The relationship between them is complicated.
neutral
手续没有想象中那么复杂。
Shǒuxù méiyǒu xiǎngxiàng zhōng nàme fùzá.
The procedure isn't as complicated as imagined.
neutral
听到这个消息，我的心情很复杂。
Tīngdào zhège xiāoxi, wǒ de xīnqíng hěn fùzá.
Hearing this news, I had very mixed feelings.
written
Common phrases with 复杂
Synonyms
麻烦 means 'troublesome / a hassle' — focusing on the effort and annoyance something costs. 复杂 focuses on structural intricacy, many parts. A task can be 复杂 (intricate) without being 麻烦 (annoying), and vice versa.
Don't confuse 复杂 with
Frequently asked questions
Related words from the same episodes
Acquire it by listening
Meet 复杂 again — in real Chinese, at your level.
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