把…归咎于…
to put the blame for … on …; to attribute a fault to …
Structure
把 失败／错误 归咎于 某人／某原因 ； 失败 被归咎于 …
What it means
To put the blame for a fault, failure or problem on someone or something: 归咎 is to lay the blame, and 于 introduces who or what is blamed.
How it is built
把 + failure／fault + 归咎于 + person／cause, or failure + 被归咎于 + …: 不能把失败全归咎于主教练 (The failures cannot all be blamed on the coach).
When to use it
Written and fairly formal; in speech say 怪 or 都怪…. 全, 都 or 简单地 often go before it, and 不能把…归咎于… is a common way to defend someone. For success the counterpart is 归功于.
Watch out
Keep 于: ✗归咎给 ✓归咎于. Only for blame: ✗把成功归咎于团队 ✓把成功归功于团队.
Examples
不能把失败全归咎于主教练。
The failures cannot all be blamed on the coach.
他总是把自己的错误归咎于别人，从来不反思。
He always blames others for his own mistakes and never looks at himself.
专家认为，城里堵车不能简单地归咎于私家车太多。
Experts think traffic jams in the city cannot simply be put down to there being too many private cars.
Learn this in Lesson 149 · HSK 7–9: 中国足球为什么难 (Why Chinese football struggles)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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