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掩耳盗铃

掩耳盗铃

yǎn ěr dào líng

HSK 7–9

Meaning

lit. to cover one's ears whilst stealing a bell
to deceive oneself
to bury one's head in the sand (idiom)

Definition

比喻自己欺骗自己，明明掩盖不住的事情偏要想法子掩盖。

To bury one's head in the sand; to deceive oneself; to cover one's ears while stealing a bell—meaning self-deception in ignoring the obvious.

Usage

用于形容自欺欺人的行为，通常指明知无法掩盖却故意装作看不见或听不见。

Used to describe self-deceptive behavior, usually referring to deliberately ignoring or pretending not to see or hear something that is clearly impossible to conceal.

Examples

1 他试图用谎言掩盖事实，简直是掩耳盗铃。（He tried to cover up the truth with lies, which was just self-deception.）
2 考试作弊就像掩耳盗铃，最终只会害了自己。（Cheating on exams is like covering one's ears while stealing a bell; it will only harm yourself in the end.）
3 公司隐瞒财务问题，无异于掩耳盗铃，迟早会暴露。（The company's concealment of financial problems is tantamount to self-deception; it will be exposed sooner or later.）
4 他以为删掉聊天记录就能销毁证据，其实是掩耳盗铃。（He thought deleting the chat history could destroy the evidence, but it's just self-deception.）
5 面对气候变化，继续否认科学事实就是掩耳盗铃。（Continuing to deny scientific facts about climate change is like burying one's head in the sand.）

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