雾里看花

霧裡看花

wùlǐkànhuā

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

对于这个复杂的理论,我还是雾里看花。

Duìyú zhège fùzá de lǐlùn, wǒ háishì wù lǐ kàn huā.

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

普通投资者看股市,常常是雾里看花。

Pǔtōng tóuzī zhě kàn gǔshì, chángcháng shì wù lǐ kàn huā.

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

没有背景知识,读这部小说就像雾里看花。

Méiyǒu bèijǐng zhīshi, dú zhè bù xiǎoshuō jiù xiàng wù lǐ kàn huā.

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