五里雾中 — “To be in a state of bewilderment or confusion”

Q: What is the Chinese definition of 五里雾中?

比喻模糊恍惚、不明真相的境界。

五里雾中 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be in a state of bewilderment or confusion”. To be unclear about the truth or the actual situation. Literally, “in a five-li fog”.

Frequency

五里雾中 Pronunciation and Pinyin

五里雾中 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
五	wǔ	4	the number five
里	lǐ	7	inside, village, unit of length
雾	wù	13	fog or mist
中	zhōng	4	middle, in, China, hit, win

Example Sentence with 五里雾中

听了他的解释，大家仍然感到像置身五里雾中，对事情的真相一无所知

After listening to his explanation, everyone still felt as if they were in a five-li fog, knowing nothing about the truth of the matter.

Origin and Story of 五里雾中

During the Han Dynasty, there was a man from Chengdu named Zhang Kai who was skilled in Taoist magic. He could create a dense fog spanning five li in a clear sky, a magnificent sight. Another man from Guanxi, Pei You, could only create a three-li fog. Dissatisfied with his limited ability, Pei You sold his property and traveled to Chengdu to learn from Zhang Kai, but failed to master the art.

Instead, he used his fog-making skill to commit theft. When he was caught by officials, he immediately falsely accused Zhang Kai of teaching him. Eager to claim credit, the officials then imprisoned Zhang Kai.