蒙在鼓里

蒙在鼓裡

méngzàigǔlǐ

idiom #8,900

Meanings

1 to be kept in the dark; to be unaware of what's going on
2 to be deceived; to be left out of the loop

Characters

to cover; to deceive; to be kept ignorant

Covered inside a drum — if you were trapped inside a drum, you couldn't see or hear what's happening outside.

Examples

大家都知道了，就我还蒙在鼓里。

Dàjiā dōu zhīdào le, jiù wǒ hái méngzàigǔlǐ.

Everyone already knew, only I was kept in the dark.

他们瞒着她，把她蒙在鼓里。

Tāmen mán zhe tā, bǎ tā méngzàigǔlǐ.

They hid it from her and kept her in the dark.

别把我蒙在鼓里，告诉我到底怎么回事。

Bié bǎ wǒ méngzàigǔlǐ, gàosù wǒ dàodǐ zěnme huíshì.

Don't keep me in the dark, tell me what's really going on.

Tips

usage

This is a very common colloquial idiom. The structure is usually 被/把...蒙在鼓里. It's the direct equivalent of English 'kept in the dark' and is used in everyday conversation.

memory

Picture being sealed inside a big drum — you can't see anything, and all you hear is muffled noise. Everyone outside knows what's happening except you.

Stroke Order

蒙 méng

在 zài

鼓 gǔ

里 lǐ