雾里看花

霧裡看花

wùlǐ-kànhuā

idiom #91,179

Meanings

1 to look at flowers through fog
2 to have a blurred or indistinct view
3 to see something only vaguely

Characters

Examples

HSK 4

对于这个复杂的理论，我还是雾里看花。

Duìyú zhège fùzá de lǐlùn, wǒ háishì wùlǐ-kànhuā.

I still have only a vague understanding of this complex theory.

HSK 4

没有背景知识，读这部小说就像雾里看花。

Méiyǒu bèijǐng zhīshi, dú zhèbù xiǎoshuō jiù xiàng wùlǐ-kànhuā.

Without background knowledge, reading this novel is like looking at flowers through fog.

HSK 7-9

普通投资者看股市，常常是雾里看花。

Pǔtōng tóuzīzhě kàn gǔshì, chángcháng shì wùlǐ-kànhuā.

Ordinary investors watching the stock market often see things through a fog.

Tips

history

Taken from Du Fu's 《小寒食舟中作》 (Tang dynasty): '春水船如天上坐，老年花似雾中看' - 'in old age flowers look as if seen through fog'. Originally described failing eyesight; now figures any blurred comprehension.

culture

Famously revived in Faye Wong's 1997 song 《雾里看花》 from her Chinese-market album, cementing the phrase in pop consciousness.

Stroke Order

雾 wù

里 lǐ

看 kàn

花 huā