掩耳盗铃
- Literal
- To cover one's ears while stealing a bell.
- Figurative
- To deceive oneself, thinking that if you don't see or hear an obvious fact, others won't notice it either; foolish self-deception.
Where does 掩耳盗铃 come from?
A man wanted to steal a bell, but it was too big to carry off, so he tried to smash it with a hammer. When he struck it, the bell rang loudly, and fearing that others would hear it and seize it, he covered his own ears, believing that this way no one else would hear the noise either. In later versions the bell is replaced by a small handbell (铃), which gives the saying its current form.
Source (出处): 《吕氏春秋·自知》
How is 掩耳盗铃 used? Two examples
- 数据明明出了问题，你不上报就是掩耳盗铃。
The data clearly has a problem; not reporting it is just covering your ears to steal the bell.
- 假装没看见缺点，这种掩耳盗铃的做法解决不了任何事。
Pretending not to see the flaws — this ear-covering, bell-stealing approach solves nothing.
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