掩yǎn耳ěr盜dào鈴líng

What does 掩耳盜鈴 (yǎn ěr dào líng) mean?

掩耳盜鈴 (yǎn ěr dào líng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "covering one's ears to steal a bell." In use it means: Self-deception does not change reality. Blocking your own ears while stealing a bell does not make it quieter for everyone else. The only person fooled is you. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Metal note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Monkey.

Literally: "covering one's ears to steal a bell."

The reading

He covered his ears and was surprised that the whole town still heard the bell. The absurdity is obvious from the outside. From the inside, it felt like a plan. This is how all self-deception works: the logic holds perfectly as long as you are the only person checking it.

What kind of proverb it is

• Typechéngyǔ 成語
• FocusPresent-minded
• Element金 Metal
• Zodiac tie猴 Year of the Monkey

Source Lüshi Chunqiu 呂氏春秋, Self-Knowledge 自知篇

Sits beside

Keep reading

Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Monkey, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.