掩耳盗铃

Pronunciation: yǎn ěr dào líng Literal meaning: Cover ears while stealing bell

Origin & Usage

This self-deceptive idiom describes covering (掩) one's ears (耳) while stealing (盗) a bell (铃), originating from the Warring States period text 'Lüshi Chunqiu.' It tells of a thief who coveted a bell but worried about its sound. His solution was to cover his own ears while stealing it, foolishly believing that if he couldn't hear it, others couldn't either. The absurdity perfectly captured self-deception through selective perception. During the Han Dynasty, the story became a standard example in legal contexts warning against transparent deceptions. Modern usage describes attempts to ignore obvious problems through willful blindness, particularly situations where people convince themselves that ignoring reality somehow changes it.

Examples

English: "The company ignored customer complaints while claiming excellent service"

Chinese: 公司无视客户投诉，同时声称提供卓越服务