Chinese word

耳熟能详

Pronunciation

Pinyiněr shú néng xiáng

Meaning

  • idiombe familiar with

Example

我对那首老歌的旋律耳熟能详。wǒ duì nà shǒu lǎo gē de xuán lǜ ěr shú néng xiáng

I am very familiar with the melody of that old song.

Illustration for 耳熟能详 (be familiar with)

More examples

这段旋律由于广告而为大众所耳熟能详。zhè duàn xuán lǜ yóu yú guǎng gào ér wèi dà zhòng suǒ ěr shú néng xiáng

This melody became widely known to the public because of an advertisement.

Core concept

Repeatedly hearing something until its details can be explained from memory.

Common phrases

  • 为大众所耳熟能详wèi dà zhòng suǒ ěr shú néng xiáng

    be widely known to the public

  • 耳熟能详的旋律ěr shú néng xiáng de xuán lǜ

    a well-known melody

Similar words

了如指掌liǎo rú zhí zhǎng: Know a matter completely, including all its fine details.
如数家珍rú shǔ jiā zhēn: List the details of a subject one by one with confident familiarity.
耳濡目染ěr rú mù rǎn: Become well informed through repeated, natural exposure to what is heard and seen.
洞若观火dòng ruò guān huǒ: Understand the true nature of a matter with complete clarity.

Definition in Chinese

反复接触或多次听到某事，从而对其内容或特点十分熟悉，能够详细说明。fǎn fù jiē chù huò duō cì tīng dào mǒu shì cóng ér duì qí nèi róng huò tè diǎn shí fēn shú xī néng gòu xiáng xì shuō míng

Word origin

耳 (ěr, "ear") + 熟 (shú, "familiar") + 能 (néng, "can") + 详 (xiáng, "detailed") form an image of familiarity gained through hearing and expressed in a full account.

Usage tips

  • This four-character idiom has a polished, written tone, while shorter everyday wording is usually more natural in casual conversation.

Other meanings

  • know inside outidiom

Opposites

  • 鲜为人知xiǎn wéi rén zhīlittle-knownidiom
  • 名不见经传míng bú jiàn jīng zhuànobscureidiom

Word lists with this word