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耳旁风 (ěr páng fēng) — (idiom) words that are completely ignored or disregarded; advice that goes in one ear and out the other

Definition

A chengyu for words (usually advice) that someone completely ignores — 'goes in one ear and out the other.' Only used in the pattern 把…当∼, never on its own.

idiom
words that are completely ignored or disregardedadvice that goes in one ear and out the other

Examples

  • 耳旁风。
    Bié bǎ tā de huà dāng ěr páng fēng.
    Don't turn a deaf ear to his words.
  • 耳旁风。
    Fù mǔ gěi de zhōng gào wǒ cóng lái méi dāng ěr páng fēng.
    I've never treated my parents' advice as something to be disregarded.
  • ，耳旁风。
    Lǎo shī tí xǐng le tā sān cì, tā què bǎ tí xǐng dāng ěr páng fēng.
    The teacher reminded him three times, but he ignored the reminders.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

耳旁beside the ear
耳ěrear旁pángside
偏正Modifier + head
风fēngwind

耳旁 means beside the ear, and 风 means wind, suggesting words that pass by unnoticed.

Characters in this word

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

耳 is drawn as a picture of an ear.

Open 耳 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
同同tóng
Sound part声符shēngfú
方
方fāng旁páng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 旁, 方 is the lower part and gives the sound. The upper part is unclear and may have been part of the meaning.

Open 旁 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 风 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set Phrases

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