Chinese Idiom: 掩耳盗铃 (Yan Er Dao Ling)
English Translation: Covering one’s ears while stealing a bell
pīn yīn: yǎn ěr dào líng
Idiom Meaning: Refers to the act of being self-deceptive and thinking one can deceive others, when in reality, one is only fooling oneself.
Historical Source: Lüshi Chunqiu (吕氏春秋) – “Self-Knowledge,” also mentioned in Huainanzi (淮南子) – “On Mountains.”
Idiom Story:
During the late Spring and Autumn period, the internal struggles for power within the ruling class of the State of Jin were frequent. One year, after Zhao Jianzi defeated Fan Jishe, someone noticed a large bell hanging in front of the Fan family’s house and wanted to take it home. However, the bell was too big and heavy to carry, so he thought about breaking it into pieces with a hammer to take it home bit by bit.
When he struck the bell with the hammer, it rang out loudly, which alarmed him: “What if others hear the sound and come to take the bell?” Suddenly, he had an idea: “The sound of the bell will attract trouble, but that’s only because ears can hear it. If I cover my ears, the problem will be solved!”
So, he plugged his ears, thinking that if he couldn’t hear the bell, then neither could anyone else. He boldly continued to strike the bell, only to be caught on the spot while he was blocking his ears.
Later, during the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan heard of this incident and found it quite amusing, remarking, “This can be called covering one’s ears while stealing a bell.”
