掩 yǎn
- Strokes
- 11
- Radical
- 扌 — hand
- Made of
- 扌 hand 奄 to remain, to tarry
- How it's built
- Phono-semantic — one part hints at the meaning, another at the sound
掩耳盗铃
yǎn'ěrdàolíng
to deceive oneself; to bury one's head in the sand
Characters in this word
耳 ěr
- Strokes
- 6
- Radical
- 耳 — ear
- How it's built
- Pictograph — a drawing of the thing
铃 líng
- Strokes
- 10
- Radical
- 钅 — gold, metal
- Made of
- 钅 gold, metal 令 command, decree, order
- How it's built
- Phono-semantic — one part hints at the meaning, another at the sound
Example phrases
- 他明知自己错了，却假装不知道，真是掩耳盗铃。 Tā míngzhī zìjǐ cuòle, què jiǎzhuāng bù zhīdào, zhēnshì yǎn'ěrdàolíng. He clearly knows he is wrong yet pretends not to notice — he is truly deceiving himself.
- 考试不及格却不肯复习，这不是掩耳盗铃吗？ Kǎoshì bù jígé què bù kěn fùxí, zhè bú shì yǎn'ěrdàolíng ma? Failing the exam yet refusing to review — isn't that simply self-deception?
- 账目已经错了，他还在嘴硬，简直是掩耳盗铃。 Zhàngmù yǐjīng cuòle, tā hái zài zuǐyìng, jiǎnzhí shì yǎn'ěrdàolíng. The accounts are already wrong, yet he still insists otherwise — it is pure self-deception.
Related words
- 掩盖 yǎngài to cover up; to conceal
- 掩护 yǎnhù to cover; to protect; cover
- 掩饰 yǎnshì to conceal; to cover up; to disguise
- 耳机 ěrjī headphones
- 耳朵 ěrduo ear
- 耳环 ěrhuán earring
- 刺耳 cì'ěr ear-piercing; grating
- 耳光 ěrguāng slap in the face
- 耳目一新 ěrmùyìxīn to find something refreshingly new
- 耳熟能详 ěrshúnéngxiáng widely known; familiar to many
- 交头接耳 jiāotóujiē'ěr to whisper to one another
- 面红耳赤 miànhóng'ěrchì flushed with anger or embarrassment