A time of chaos
The Chinese idiom, Lu à NSH à Xi à ngni á n in pinyin, means that the times are turbulent and the year is extremely bad. It's from Qunsheng Lei Xuan.
The idiom comes from Ming Dynasty Hu Wenhuan's Qun Yin Lei Xuan Xi Pei Ji An Zhong Xiao Hui: "the three paths are not as desolate as before, and they are willing to pick the needle frequently to see the turbulent times."
A time of chaos
torture oneself with unpleasant thoughts - zì yí yī qī
Carved heart and wild goose claw - diāo xīn yàn zhǎo
Watching from behind the curtain - lián kuī bì tìng
feel very depressed at the prospect - chù jǐng shāng qíng