noun
agonizing cries; pandemonium
Describes a scene of utter chaos and wailing, often used for disasters or battlefields. Originates from the names of two Buddhist hells (阿鼻地獄 and 叫喚地獄), but in modern use it refers to extreme suffering and uproar.
地震の後、街は阿鼻叫喚の地獄絵図となった。
After the earthquake, the town became a hellish scene of agonizing cries.
The battlefield was sheer pandemonium.