雾里看花
wù lǐ kàn huā
to see only hazily; to have a blurred view or a vague understanding
Character by character
雾wù
fog
fog
里lǐ
in
in
看kàn
look at
look at
花huā
flowers
flowers
Example
不戴眼镜看黑板，就像雾里看花，什么都看不清。
Reading the blackboard without my glasses is like looking at flowers in fog: everything is a blur.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
Goes back to a line by 杜甫 on growing old, 老年花似雾中看 (in old age the flowers look as if seen through mist). Also for understanding something only vaguely: 对这个问题，我还是雾里看花.
Learn this in Lesson 18 · HSK 5: “小眼镜”越来越多 (Why so many children wear glasses)
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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