Chinese word

混淆

Pronunciation

Pinyinhùn xiáo

Meaning

  • verbconfuse

Example

不要把事实和谣言混淆。bú yào bǎ shì shí hé yáo yán hùn xiáo

Do not confuse facts with rumors.

Illustration for 混淆 (confuse)

More examples

学生常把原因和结果混淆。xué shēng cháng bǎ yuán yīn hé jié guǒ hùn xiáo

Students often confuse causes and effects.

Core concept

Different things run together until one is taken for another.

Common phrases

  • 混淆事实与谣言hùn xiáo shì shí yǔ yáo yán

    confuse facts with rumors

  • 混淆概念hùn xiáo gài niàn

    confuse concepts

  • 混淆是非hùn xiáo shì fēi

    confuse right and wrong

Similar words

混同hùn tóng: Regard different people, things, or ideas as the same.
搞混gǎo hùn: Confuse facts, ideas, or details with one another.
弄错nòng cuò: Make an error in judging or dealing with something.

Definition in Chinese

把本来不同的人、事或概念看成一样或互相混合，使人无法辨别或产生混乱。bǎ běn lái bù tóng de rén shì huò gài niàn kàn chéng yí yàng huò hù xiāng hùn hé shǐ rén wú fǎ biàn bié huò chǎn shēng hùn luàn

Word origin

混 (hùn, "mix") + 淆 (xiáo, "muddle") connects the act of mixing with the loss of clear distinctions between separate things.

Usage tips

  • English confuse often describes a person's mental state, while this Chinese verb usually identifies the two things that have been wrongly combined.

Other meanings

  • mistakeverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 混淆不清hùn xiáo bù qīngconfused and unclearidiom

Word lists with this word