張冠李戴 zhāng guān lǐ dài

to confuse one thing with another

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. to confuse one thing with another
  2. 2. to attribute sth to the wrong person (idiom)
  3. 3. lit. to put Zhang's hat on Li's head

Characters

Character Meaning
張 zhāng
classifier for flat objects, sheet; sheet of paper
冠 guān HSK 5
to be first; to put on a hat; to dub
李 lǐ HSK 3
surname Li; plum
戴 dài HSK 4
to put on or wear (glasses, hat, gloves etc); to bear