# 掩耳盗铃

yǎn ěr dào líng

Deceive yourself about an obvious problem

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** Cover your ears while stealing a bell

**Traditional Chinese:** 掩耳盜鈴

**Register:** Critical · conversational

[Choices & judgment](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/decisions)

## When to use it

Use when someone ignores evidence and acts as though nobody else can see it.

It is a criticism of self-deception, not an ordinary misunderstanding.

## Behind the words

A traditional fable tells of a thief who covers his own ears so he cannot hear a bell. He mistakes his own silence for everyone else’s.

The thief confuses removing his own awareness of a sound with removing the sound itself. That distinction gives the idiom its force: pretending not to see evidence cannot change reality. Modern uses target denial, concealment, and attempts to disguise an obvious problem. It is an accusation, so use it carefully in disagreement and explain which fact is being ignored.

## Examples

把错误消息删掉就算解决问题，这不是掩耳盗铃吗？

### Traditional Chinese

把錯誤消息刪掉就算解決問題，這不是掩耳盜鈴嗎？

bǎ cuò wù xiāo xī shān diào jiù suàn jiě jué wèn tí ， zhè bú shì yǎn ěr dào líng ma ？

Deleting the error message and calling it a solution—isn’t that just self-deception?

把欠款通知藏起来并不能解决问题，只是掩耳盗铃。

### Traditional Chinese

把欠款通知藏起來並不能解決問題，只是掩耳盜鈴。

bǎ qiàn kuǎn tōng zhī cáng qǐ lái bìng bù néng jiě jué wèn tí ， zhǐ shì yǎn ěr dào líng 。

Hiding the overdue-payment notice does not solve the problem; it only deceives you.

他删掉差评就以为产品没有问题，实在是掩耳盗铃。

### Traditional Chinese

他刪掉差評就以為產品沒有問題，實在是掩耳盜鈴。

tā shān diào chà píng jiù yǐ wéi chǎn pǐn méi yǒu wèn tí ， shí zài shì yǎn ěr dào líng 。

He thinks deleting bad reviews makes the product flawless, which is self-deception.

明明出了错误却不许别人提，这不是掩耳盗铃吗？

### Traditional Chinese

明明出了錯誤卻不許別人提，這不是掩耳盜鈴嗎？

míng míng chū le cuò wù què bù xǔ bié rén tí ， zhè bú shì yǎn ěr dào líng ma ？

If an error happened and you forbid anyone to mention it, are you not just deceiving yourself?

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 4, 2026.

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=2&q=1&webMd=1&la=0)

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E6%8E%A9%E8%80%B3%E7%9B%9C%E9%88%B4)

## Keep exploring

- [一筹莫展 yī chóu mò zhǎn Be completely unable to find a solution ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/yi-chou-mo-zhan)

- [一触即发 yī chù jí fā Be ready to erupt at the slightest trigger ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/yi-chu-ji-fa)

- [一举两得 yī jǔ liǎng dé Achieve two things with one action ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/yi-ju-liang-de)

- [一劳永逸 yī láo yǒng yì Solve something once and for all ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/yi-lao-yong-yi)

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