闹事
nào shì · HSK 7
to cause trouble
📢 闹 = make noise/uproar + 事 = matter/affair, so a noisy affair = stirring up trouble
闹 — door 门 + market 市
Originally written 鬧, showing 鬥 (fight) over 市 (market) — depicting the clamor of people quarreling in a crowded marketplace. The simplified form replaces 鬥 with 门 (door/gate), keeping the idea of a noisy, bustling space. The core meaning shifted from 'quarrel' to 'noisy, lively, to make a fuss'.
事 — hand 又 holding a banner/tablet on a pole
Originally a pictograph of a hand (又) grasping a pole or ceremonial banner used by an official, depicting the act of conducting court business. From this it came to mean 'affair, matter, business, service.' It shares an ancient origin with 史 (scribe) and 吏 (official).