4 · Expressions (level 4)
By means of and through: tōngguò
the means or channel of an action
Tōngguò names the means, the method or the go-between through which something is done — and as a verb it means to pass.
As a preposition, 通过 names the means or the channel of an action: 通过朋友介绍，我认识了她, “I got to know her through a friend’s introduction”. Like most Chinese preposition phrases, it stands before the verb — at the start of the sentence or right after the subject — and not at the end, where English puts “through a friend”.
通过 + a verb phrase means “by doing …”: 通过每天练习, by practising every day. It suits methods, processes and go-betweens: 通过网络, 通过调查, 通过翻译. A tool held in the hand is 用 instead (用筷子吃饭), and a means of transport is a verb of its own (坐火车).
通过 is also a verb: to pass an exam, a test or a vote, or to pass through a place. 他通过了考试, “he passed the exam”; 新规定通过了, “the new rule has been passed”. As a verb it takes 了 and an object; as a preposition it leads into another verb.
The preposition is a little formal — common in news, reports and explanations. In relaxed speech people often rephrase: 我朋友介绍我们认识的, “my friend introduced us”.
The form
| the means first | 通过网络，… |
| after the subject | 我们通过电话联系。 |
| by doing something | 通过每天练习，… |
| as a verb: pass | 他通过了考试。 |
| not passed | 这个方案没有通过。 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
As a preposition, tōngguò stands before the verb: at the start or after the subject.
我通过一个同事找到了这套房子。I found this flat through a colleague.
Tōngguò with a verb phrase means “by doing …”.
通过看电视剧，他学到了很多口语。By watching TV series, he learned a lot of everyday speech.
As a verb, tōngguò means to pass: an exam, a test, a vote.
新的规定已经通过了。The new regulation has already been passed.
For a tool held in the hand, use yòng, not tōngguò.
他用铅笔画了一张地图。He drew a map with a pencil.
A closer look
Tōngguò and jīngguò
Both can be translated “through”, but they look at different things. 通过 names the means — the method that made something possible. 经过 names a process that has been gone through, often a long one: 经过三年的努力, “after three years of effort”. The stress is on the stages, not on the method.
Many nouns take either, with a shift of meaning. 通过讨论 says that the discussion was the tool that produced the result; 经过讨论 says that the result came after a discussion. As verbs, 经过 is to pass by a place (我每天经过那家店), and 通过 to pass a test.
How to spot it
- 通过
- 经过
Example sentences
通过这次旅行，我更了解这个国家了。Through this trip, I have come to understand this country better.
我们可以通过邮件保持联系。We can keep in touch by email.
通过调查，警察发现了问题的原因。Through their investigation, the police found the cause of the problem.
她第一次就通过了驾驶考试。She passed her driving test the first time.
通过大家的努力，问题终于解决了。Through everyone’s efforts, the problem was finally solved.
很多人现在通过手机看新闻。Many people now get the news on their phones.
8 more example sentences
我是通过网上的广告找到这份工作的。I found this job through an advert online.
通过运动和少吃甜食，他瘦了十斤。By exercising and eating fewer sweets, he lost five kilos.
这个计划还没有通过。This plan has not been approved yet.
孩子们通过游戏学习数字。The children learn numbers through games.
通过这件事，我看清楚了他是什么样的人。Through this, I saw clearly what kind of person he is.
请通过官方网站报名。Please register through the official website.
火车慢慢地通过了大桥。The train slowly crossed the bridge.
通过翻译，两个人聊了一个小时。Through an interpreter, the two of them talked for an hour.
Worth knowing (1)
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A passive without bèi
When 通过 is the verb, the thing that is approved often stands as the subject, and nobody is named as the one who approved it. English needs a passive here (“has been approved”); Chinese does not.
我的申请通过了！My application has been approved!
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English adds “through a friend” at the end of the sentence. In Chinese the means comes before the action, as most preposition phrases do: first how, then what happened.
The means comes before the action: tōngguò first, the verb after.
Your turn
8 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.