How to Say “Through / By Means of” with 通过 (tōngguò)
通过 (tōngguò) has two jobs. As a verb it means “to go through” or “to pass / clear”: 通过安检 (“clear security”), 通过考试 (“pass the exam”). As a preposition it means “by means of / via / through,” naming the method or channel you use to reach a result: 通过 + Method，Subject… 通过这次调查，我们发现了很多问题 (“through this survey, we found many problems”). It is the twin of 经过 (jīngguò), and English “through” hides the difference.
Why this trips learners up
通过 (tōngguò) does two related jobs. As a verb it means “to go through” something or “to pass / clear” it, taking that thing as its object: 你通过考试了吗？ (“did you pass the exam?”), 他顺利通过了面试 (“he got through the interview smoothly”), 通过安检以后，我们去登机口 (“after we clear security, we head to the gate”).
As a preposition, 通过 means “by means of / via / through,” and this is the B1 use to master. It names the method, tool or channel you use to reach an outcome: 通过 + Method / Agent，Subject…. It can front the sentence: 通过这次调查，我们发现了很多问题 (“through this survey, we found many problems”), 通过每天练习，他的发音越来越好 (“by practising every day, his pronunciation keeps improving”). Or it can sit after the subject: 现在很多人通过网络学中文 (“these days a lot of people learn Chinese via the internet”), 我是通过朋友认识她的 (“I met her through a friend”).
The whole point of prepositional 通过 is to spotlight the means behind a result, the survey, the daily practice, the friend, the experience that got you there. Two things to keep straight. First, the 通过 + method goes before the verb, never trailing after it the way English can (“I learn Chinese through the internet”): it's 我通过网络学中文, not 我学中文通过网络. Second, watch the twin 经过.
Both 通过 and 经过 land on English “through,” which is exactly why learners mix them. The split: 通过 names the channel or means you use (and, as a verb, “to pass / clear”), while 经过 names the process or place you go through. 你是通过什么找到工作的？ 通过朋友 (a channel) versus 经过很长时间的努力 (a process). As verbs too: 我通过了考试 (“I passed / cleared the exam”) but 我经过了学校 (“I passed by the school”). Quick test: if you can swap in “by means of / via,” it's 通过.
The structure
Colour key
Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.
Examples in context
Real-world sentences, easiest first. Toggle pinyin or the translation, tap any word to see its role, or play the audio.
Tap a word to see its grammatical role.
nǐ 你 Subject tōngguò 通过 Pattern kǎoshì 考试 Object le 了 Function word ma 吗 Question
Did you pass the exam? (通过 as a verb, “to pass / clear”).
tā 他 Subject shùnlì 顺利 Adverb tōngguò 通过 Pattern le 了 Function word miànshì 面试 Object
He got through the interview smoothly (通过 + the thing cleared).
tōngguò 通过 Pattern ānjiǎn 安检 Object yǐhòu 以后 Time wǒmen ，我们 Subject qù 去 Verb dēngjīkǒu 登机口 Object
After we clear security, we head to the gate (通过 = physically go through).
wǒ 我 Subject shì 是 Function word tōngguò 通过 Pattern péngyou 朋友 Object rènshi 认识 Verb tā 她 Object de 的 Function word
I met her through a friend (通过 + channel, inside a 是…的 frame).
tōngguò 通过 Pattern zhè cì diàochá 这次调查 Object wǒmen ，我们 Subject fāxiàn le 发现了 Verb hěn duō wèntí 很多问题 Object
Through this survey, we found many problems (通过 + method, fronted).
tōngguò 通过 Pattern měitiān liànxí 每天练习 Object tā de fāyīn ，他的发音 Subject yuèláiyuè 越来越 Adverb hǎo 好 Adjective
By practising every day, his pronunciation keeps getting better (通过 + method).
xiànzài 现在 Time hěn duō rén 很多人 Subject tōngguò 通过 Pattern wǎngluò 网络 Object xué 学 Verb zhōngwén 中文 Object
These days a lot of people learn Chinese via the internet (通过 after the subject).
tōngguò 通过 Pattern zhè cì jīnglì 这次经历 Object wǒ ，我 Subject míngbái le 明白了 Verb yí gè dàolǐ 一个道理 Object
Through this experience, I came to understand something important (通过 + an abstract channel).
Common mistakes
Why it happens: 通过 names the channel or agent you use; 经过 names a process you undergo. A friend is a channel you go “through,” so it's 通过朋友，我找到了工作, not 经过朋友. Reserve 经过 for a process or stretch of time (经过努力, 经过两个月的准备).
Why it happens: The 通过 + method goes before the verb, not after it the way English trails “through the internet” at the end. “I learn Chinese through the internet” is 我通过网络学中文, not 我学中文通过网络. Put the means first, then the action.
Why it happens: “To pass / clear” a test or check is 通过, never 经过. “I passed this exam” is 我通过了这次考试, not 我经过了这次考试 (which would mean you walked past it). 通过 = succeed / get through; 经过 = go past a place.
Compare & contrast
| 通过 (tōngguò): the channel / means, or “to pass / clear” | 经过 (jīngguò): the process, or “to pass by” a place | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| 通过朋友找到工作tōngguò péngyou zhǎodào gōngzuò = “found a job through a friend” (the friend is the channel) | 经过努力找到工作jīngguò nǔlì zhǎodào gōngzuò = “found a job through effort” (the effort is the process) | 通过朋友找到工作 = “found a job through a friend,” where the friend is the channel you used. 经过努力找到工作 = “found a job through effort,” where the effort is the process you went through. Same English “through,” but a means versus a process. |
| 我通过了考试wǒ tōngguò le kǎoshì = “I passed the exam” (cleared it, succeeded) | 我经过了学校wǒ jīngguò le xuéxiào = “I passed by the school” (went past a place) | 我通过了考试 = “I passed the exam,” 通过 as a verb meaning to clear or succeed. 我经过了学校 = “I passed by the school,” 经过 as a verb meaning to go past a place. Clearing something versus going past it. |
Try it yourself
Say “Through this book, I learned a lot.” Front the 通过 + method, then the result.
Related patterns
Quick reference card
How to Say “Through / By Means of” with 通过 (tōngguò) grammar.merrymandarin.com A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.