混为一谈

混為一談

hùnwéiyītán

idiom #17,450

Meanings

1 to confuse one thing with another
2 to lump together; to muddle

Characters

to mix; to confuse

to talk; discussion

Literally 'mix into one discussion' — to treat different things as if they were the same

Examples

你不能把这两件事混为一谈。

Nǐ bù néng bǎ zhè liǎng jiàn shì hùnwéiyītán.

You can't confuse these two things.

友情和爱情不能混为一谈。

Yǒuqíng hé àiqíng bù néng hùnwéiyītán.

Friendship and romantic love shouldn't be lumped together.

Tips

grammar

Most commonly used in the negative: 不能/不要混为一谈 (shouldn't confuse A with B). The 把 construction is typical: 把A和B混为一谈.

Stroke Order

混 hùn

为 wèi

一 yī

谈 tán