掩人耳目
yǎn rén ěr mù
to hoodwink people; to throw dust in people’s eyes
Character by character
掩yǎn
cover
cover
人rén
people’s
people’s
耳ěr
ears
ears
目mù
eyes
eyes
Example
为了掩人耳目，他们把假货和真货混在一起卖。
To fool people, they sold the fakes mixed in with the genuine goods.
Tone: negative (criticism).
Usage and origin
To stop others hearing and seeing what is really going on. Usually 为了掩人耳目 + what was done to hide it, and very common in reports of fraud and crime. 掩耳盗铃 (lesson 6-6) is different: there you fool only yourself.
Learn this in Lesson 140 · HSK 7–9: 一罐奶粉 (A can of milk powder)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
Open the lesson →