掩耳盗铃
Covered ears, ringing bell
Read, find evidence, and explain in your own words.
Read
有个人看见一口大钟，想偷偷搬走。可是钟太重，他使了很大的力气，也搬不动。他不愿放弃，又想出一个办法：把钟敲碎，分成小块，就能一块一块带走了。
A man saw a large bell and wanted to steal it. It was too heavy to carry, however hard he tried. Unwilling to give up, he decided to break it into pieces and carry those away instead.
他找来锤子，刚敲一下，钟就发出响亮的声音。他吓了一跳，怕别人听见，立刻停了手。他捂住自己的耳朵，觉得声音小了，心里一喜：这样就不必担心别人听见了吧！
He found a hammer. At the first strike, the bell rang loudly. Startled and afraid that others would hear, he stopped. He covered his own ears, and the sound seemed quieter. He was pleased, imagining that others would no longer hear it either.
可是耳朵被捂住的只有他自己。钟还在那里，敲钟仍会发出声音，旁人的耳朵也没有被捂住。他把自己听不清，当成了别人也听不见；逃开一个感觉，并没有让事实消失。
But only his own ears were covered. The bell was still there, striking it would still make a sound, and other people’s ears were uncovered. He mistook his difficulty hearing for silence everywhere. Avoiding a sensation had not changed the facts.
Explore the text
《吕氏春秋·自知》的原故事写大钟，后来成语常说盗铃。掩是遮住，盗是偷。读故事时分清“我没有听见”和“声音没有发生”；它们不是同一件事。
The original story in Knowing Oneself in the Annals of Lü Buwei concerns a large bell. The later expression uses ling, a smaller bell. Yan means cover and dao means steal. “I did not hear it” and “there was no sound” are different claims.
Words to practise
掩耳盗铃声