# 耳熟能详

ěr shú néng xiáng

Be so familiar with something that one can explain it fully

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** Familiar to the ear and able to describe in detail

**Traditional Chinese:** 耳熟能詳

**Register:** General · spoken & written

[Effort & growth](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/effort)

## When to use it

Describe material known well through repeated exposure.

Recognition alone is weaker than the detailed familiarity expressed here.

## The image & its use

A melody may become recognizable after a few hearings, but someone who knows its sections and can describe how they fit together has deeper familiarity. This expression points to that stronger level of knowledge. It can apply to a story, a saying, a song, or another subject encountered repeatedly. Familiarity still benefits from checking details when accuracy matters. If a listener knows only the title or a single line, a simpler description of recognition would be more suitable.

## Examples

这个故事大家耳熟能详，却仍愿意再听一次。

### Traditional Chinese

這個故事大家耳熟能詳，卻仍願意再聽一次。

zhè ge gù shì dà jiā ěr shú néng xiáng ， què réng yuàn yì zài tīng yí cì 。

Everyone knows the story well but still enjoys hearing it again.

这首歌已经耳熟能详，她能介绍每一段的变化。

### Traditional Chinese

這首歌已經耳熟能詳，她能介紹每一段的變化。

zhè shǒu gē yǐ jīng ěr shú néng xiáng ， tā néng jiè shào měi yí duàn de biàn huà 。

She knows the song thoroughly and can explain the changes in each section.

他对家乡的传说耳熟能详。

### Traditional Chinese

他對家鄉的傳說耳熟能詳。

tā duì jiā xiāng de chuán shuō ěr shú néng xiáng 。

He is thoroughly familiar with his hometown's traditional stories.

对于耳熟能详的说法，也值得重新思考它的含义。

### Traditional Chinese

對於耳熟能詳的說法，也值得重新思考它的含義。

duì yú ěr shú néng xiáng de shuō fǎ ， yě zhí dé chóng xīn sī kǎo tā de hán yì 。

Even a thoroughly familiar saying is worth reconsidering for its meaning.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 7, 2026.

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=1371&webMd=1&la=0)

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E8%80%B3%E7%86%9F%E8%83%BD%E8%A9%B3)

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