Ever tried to bluff your way through an exam, a project, or even a date? In this episode, we dive into the hilarious (and slightly sneaky) Chinese idiom 蒙混过关, which literally means “to muddle through a checkpoint.” We’ll chat about this useful expression, when it’s risky, and how Chinese people use it in daily life.

🎧 Learn Mandarin through real examples, personal stories, and our usual dose of laughter!

Sentence Examples

• 1. 他靠蒙混过关拿到了那份工作。

  Tā kào méng hùn guò guān ná dào le nà fèn gōngzuò.

  He got the job through deception.

  2. 这次考试不能蒙混过关，要认真复习。

  Zhè cì kǎoshì bù néng méng hùn guò guān, yào rènzhēn fùxí.

  You can’t b.s. your way through this exam; you have to study seriously.

  3. 有些人试图蒙混过关，但最终被发现了。

  Yǒu xiē rén shìtú méng hùn guò guān, dàn zuìzhōng bèi fāxiàn le.

  Some people tried cheating to get by, but were eventually found out.

  
  

  Dialogue 1

  A: 听说小张考试的时候蒙混过关了？ Tīngshuō Xiǎo Zhāng kǎoshì de shíhòu méng hùn guò guān le? I heard Xiao Zhang faked his way through the exam?

  B: 是的，他没好好复习，靠作弊蒙混过关。 Shì de, tā méi hǎohǎo fùxí, kào zuòbì méng hùn guò guān.

  Yeah — he didn’t study properly; he cheated to get by.

  A: 这样很危险吧？一旦被抓就麻烦了。 Zhèyàng hěn wēixiǎn ba? Yídàn bèi zhuā jiù máfan le. That’s really risky, right? If he gets caught it’ll be a big problem.

  B: 对啊，老师现在越来越严格了。 Duì a, lǎoshī xiànzài yuè lái yuè yángé le. Totally — teachers are getting stricter and stricter now.

  A: 我觉得还是踏实学习，不要想蒙混过关。 Wǒ juéde háishì tàshí xuéxí, bú yào xiǎng méng hùn guò guān.

  I think it’s better to study properly — don’t try to bluff your way through.

  B: 我也是，靠实力才是长久之计。 Wǒ yě shì, kào shílì cái shì chángjiǔ zhī jì. Same here — relying on real ability is the long-term plan.

  
  

  Dialogue 2

  A: 你觉得我们这次项目能蒙混过关吗？ Nǐ juéde wǒmen zhè cì xiàngmù néng méng hùn guò guān ma? Do you think we can get away with b.s.ing ur way through this project?

  B: 不能，我们必须准备充分，不能耍花招。 Bù néng, wǒmen bìxū zhǔnbèi chōngfèn, bù néng shuǎ huāzhāo. No — we must prepare thoroughly; we can’t pull any tricks.

  A: 但是时间不够，蒙混过关好像很诱人。 Dànshì shíjiān bù gòu, méng hùn guò guān hǎoxiàng hěn yòurén. But there isn’t enough time — bluffing our way through sounds tempting.

  B: 这不好，如果被发现，后果很严重。 Zhè bù hǎo, rúguǒ bèi fāxiàn, hòuguǒ hěn yánzhòng. That’s not good — if we get found out, the consequences will be serious.