Meaning
“To cover one’s ears while stealing a bell” means to deceive oneself by ignoring obvious facts. It describes someone who tries to avoid a problem by pretending it does not exist or by blocking out reality.
Word breakdown
- 掩 (yǎn) – to cover
- 耳 (ěr) – ear
- 盗 (dào) – to steal
- 铃 (líng) – bell
The idiom refers to the foolish act of covering one’s ears while stealing a noisy bell, thinking that if they cannot hear the bell, others won’t either.
Historical Origin
This idiom comes from a story in Han Feizi (《韩非子》), written during the Warring States period.
A man wanted to steal a large bell from his neighbor’s house. But he worried the bell would ring loudly and attract attention. To solve this, he covered his own ears while trying to remove the bell, believing that if he could not hear the noise, others could not either.
Of course, the bell still rang loudly, and he was caught.
The story mocks self-deception and the foolishness of ignoring reality.
Modern Usage
This idiom is used to criticize:
- People who ignore problems hoping they will disappear
- Self-deceptive behavior
- Denying obvious truths
Example situations
- Refusing to acknowledge financial problems despite growing debts
- Ignoring health symptoms and hoping they go away
- Believing lies while ignoring facts
Example sentences
- 他明明犯了错误，还掩耳盗铃地说自己没错。
(He clearly made a mistake but deceives himself by saying he’s innocent.) - 面对问题，不能掩耳盗铃，必须正视它。
(You can’t cover your ears and ignore problems—you must face them.)
Short Story
小王偷了邻居家的铃铛，但担心铃声太大吵到别人。他竟然用手捂住自己的耳朵，以为别人也听不到铃声。
结果铃声依然很响，他被邻居发现，最后被抓住了。
大家都笑他说：“你这是掩耳盗铃呢！”
English Translation
Xiao Wang stole a bell from his neighbor but worried the ringing would be too loud and attract attention. He covered his own ears, thinking that if he couldn’t hear the bell, no one else could either.
However, the bell still rang loudly, and his neighbor discovered him. In the end, he was caught.
Everyone laughed and said, “You’re just covering your ears while stealing a bell!”
Traditional Chinese Characters
掩耳盜鈴
Conclusion
掩耳盗铃 warns against self-deception and denial. Ignoring problems or pretending they don’t exist will not make them disappear. Facing reality honestly is always wiser than burying your head in the sand.