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耳熟能详 (ěr shú néng xiáng) — to be very familiar with something (from hearing it often); to know something so well you can recite it

Definition

An idiom meaning something is so familiar from hearing it often that you can recite it in detail — 'so well-known you could say it in your sleep'. Both knowing it AND being able to detail it are required.

phrase
to be very familiar with something (from hearing it often)to know something so well you can recite it

Examples

  • 耳熟能详。
    Zhè shǒu gē dà jiā dōu ěr shú néng xiáng.
    Everyone is very familiar with this song from hearing it often.
  • 耳熟能详。
    Tā duì zhè ge gù shi yǐ jīng ěr shú néng xiáng le.
    He is so familiar with this story that he can recite it.
  • ，耳熟能详。
    Zhè xiē sú yǔ, bú shì měi gè rén dōu ěr shú néng xiáng.
    Not everyone is so familiar with these sayings that they can recite them.

Origin

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 →

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

熟 combines 孰 (cooked; ripe) with 灬 (fire), showing food cooked with fire.

Open 熟 →

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

能 is an old picture of a bear, showing two paws and a face with an open mouth.

Open 能 →

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 詳; 详 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
羊
羊yáng詳xiáng
Same sound today

In the traditional form 詳, 言 points to speech, and 羊 supplies the sound.

Open 详 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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