听而不闻 (tīng ér bù wén) — to hear but ignore; to turn a deaf ear to

Definition

Literal: 'hear but do not hear' — an idiom for deliberately ignoring something you have clearly heard, usually advice, warnings, or criticism.

idiom

to hear but ignoreto turn a deaf ear to

听而不闻。
Tā duì bié rén de jiàn yì zǒng shì tīng ér bù wén.
He always turns a deaf ear to others' suggestions.
，听而不闻。
Lǎo shī fǎn fù jiǎng jiě, dàn tā què tīng ér bù wén.
The teacher explained repeatedly, but he just turned a deaf ear.
听而不闻，。
Rú guǒ lǐng dǎo duì qún zhòng de yì jiàn tīng ér bù wén, hòu guǒ huì hěn yán zhòng.
If the leader turns a deaf ear to the public's opinions, the consequences will be serious.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 聽; 听 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 聽 has 耳 (ear) and 口 (mouth), used for listening; the simplified 听 is a later shortened form unrelated to that picture.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 而 is a picture of a beard.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 聞; 闻 is its simplified writing.

門耳聞

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

門

門mén聞wén

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 聞, 門 supplies the sound and 耳 is an ear; this explanation is about 聞, not the simplified 闻.