Chinese word

耳闻目睹

Pronunciation

Pinyiněr wén mù dǔ

Meaning

  • idiomsee and hear for oneself

Example

我耳闻目睹了那件事的经过。wǒ ěr wén mù dǔ le nà jiàn shì de jīng guò

I saw and heard for myself what happened.

Illustration for 耳闻目睹 (see and hear for oneself)

More examples

记者耳闻目睹了现场的情况。jì zhě ěr wén mù dǔ le xiàn chǎng de qíng kuàng

The reporter saw and heard firsthand what was happening at the scene.

Core concept

A matter checked through two immediate channels, with what reaches the ears and what meets the eyes both contributing evidence.

Common phrases

  • 亲自耳闻目睹qīn zì ěr wén mù dǔ

    see and hear for oneself

  • 耳闻目睹的经过ěr wén mù dǔ de jīng guò

    the course of what one saw and heard firsthand

  • 当场耳闻目睹dāng chǎng ěr wén mù dǔ

    see and hear firsthand on the spot

Similar words

亲眼目睹qīn yǎn mù dǔ: Seeing something with one's own eyes gives direct visual evidence of what happened.
亲耳所闻qīn ér suǒ wén: Hearing something with one's own ears provides direct firsthand knowledge of it.
身临其境shēn lín qí jìng: Being physically present at an event allows direct experience of the situation.

Definition in Chinese

亲自用耳朵听、用眼睛看，用自身的感官确认某事的真相或经过。qīn zì yòng ér duǒ tīng yòng yǎn jīng kàn yòng zì shēn de gǎn guān què rèn mǒu shì de zhēn xiàng huò jīng guò

Word origin

耳 (ěr, "ear") + 闻 (wén, "hear") form one sensory pair, while 目 (mù, "eye") + 睹 (dǔ, "see") form the other; together they create a compact expression for direct observation.

Usage tips

  • The idiom gives a statement the force of personal testimony, so it fits a witness's account better than a story passed from person to person.

Opposites

  • 道听途说dào tīng tú shuōhearsayidiom

Related words

Word lists with this word