By means of: 通过
介词 / prepositions
Tone colorsā tone 1á tone 2ǎ tone 3à tone 4a neutral
As a preposition, 通过 (tōngguò) means "through, by means of, via". It introduces the means or the person that makes a result possible.
The 通过 + X phrase usually goes at the start of the sentence or right after the subject: 通过朋友，我找到了这份工作 / 我通过朋友找到了这份工作。
通过 is also a verb: "to pass (an exam)", "to go through": 他通过了面试 (he passed the interview).
Examples
通过这次面试，我了解了这家公司。
Tōngguò zhè cì miànshì, wǒ liǎojiě le zhè jiā gōngsī.Through this interview, I got to know the company.
我是通过网站找到这份工作的。
Wǒ shì tōngguò wǎngzhàn zhǎodào zhè fèn gōngzuò de.I found this job through a website.
通过努力，他的汉语水平提高了很多。
Tōngguò nǔlì, tā de Hànyǔ shuǐpíng tígāo le hěn duō.Through hard work, his Chinese improved a lot.
恭喜你通过了考试！
Gōngxǐ nǐ tōngguò le kǎoshì!Congratulations on passing the exam!
Common mistakes
✗ 我找到了工作通过朋友。 → the prepositional phrase goes before the verb. ✓ 我通过朋友找到了工作。
Don't mix it up with 经过 (to pass by / after going through): 经过 stresses the process lived through, 通过 the means.