每天成语
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耳熟能详

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: ěr shú néng xiáng
  • English Translation: What one hears frequently and can describe in detail (well-known)
  • Idiom Composition: 「耳」（Ear (referring to the act of hearing)）＋「熟」（Familiar or well-acquainted with）＋「能」（To be able to; can）＋「详」（To explain in detail or know thoroughly）
  • Meaning: To have heard something so many times that one is intimately familiar with it and can explain or recite the details from memory.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「耳熟能详」 contains the following nuances:

  • Accumulation of Auditory Experience: As the character 耳 (ěr) suggests, this idiom specifically refers to knowledge gained through repeated hearing—such as stories, music, or oral traditions—rather than just reading.
  • The Ability to Recount: The character 详 (xiáng) is crucial; it emphasizes that the person doesn't just recognize the topic but knows it well enough to explain the details or recite it.

3. Usage

「耳熟能详」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Famous stories or songs: Used for classics, popular songs, or legends that everyone has heard many times.
    • Example:「《西游记》的故事在中国可谓是家喻户晓，耳熟能详。」
      （The stories from Journey to the West (西游记) are household names in China and well-known to everyone.)
  • Specific people or topics: Used for names or subjects that are frequently discussed within a specific community or industry.
    • Example:「对于篮球迷来说，迈克尔·乔丹这个名字早已耳熟能详。」
      （For basketball fans, the name Michael Jordan has long been a household name.)
  • Slogans or quotes: Describes how repetitive advertisements or famous maxims become common knowledge.
    • Example:「这句广告词大家都耳熟能详，甚至连小孩子都会背。」
      （Everyone is so familiar with this advertising slogan that even children can recite it.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 这些耳熟能详的老歌，勾起了我对童年的回忆。
    （These well-known old songs brought back memories of my childhood.）
  2. 虽然这个理论在学术界耳熟能详，但普通大众对此知之甚少。
    （While this theory is common knowledge in academia, the general public knows very little about it.）
  3. 我们要把这些晦涩难懂的政策，变成老百姓耳熟能详的语言。
    （We need to turn these obscure policies into language that is familiar and easy to understand for the common people.）
  4. 提到他的名字，在这个小镇上可以说是耳熟能详。
    （Mention his name, and you'll find it is known by everyone in this small town.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • The idiom originates from the Northern Song Dynasty (北宋) statesman and writer Ouyang Xiu (欧阳修) in his work Shuanggang Qianbiao (泷冈阡表). He wrote that because he had heard his mother speak of his late father's integrity so often, he was able to record the details accurately.
  • Unlike general fame, this term emphasizes 'retention through repetition.' It is rarely used for news or events that one has only encountered once.
  • In modern Chinese, it functions as an adjective describing a state of familiarity. It is typically used in the pattern 对 (duì) [Subject] 耳熟能详 or [Subject] 是 (shì) 耳熟能详的.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

耳熟能详 (ěr shú néng xiáng) describes a state where a story, song, name, or slogan has been heard so often that it is deeply ingrained in one's mind. It implies a level of familiarity that goes beyond simple recognition, suggesting the person can recount the specifics because they have heard them repeatedly. It is most commonly used in the pattern 对...耳熟能详 (to be intimately familiar with...).

Featured in the Chuken exam (Japan's Chinese test)Level 1

Idiom Essay

ěr shú néng xiáng
耳熟能详
Well-known and Familiar
shēng huó生活zhōng中，zǒng总yǒu有yī xiē一些shēng yīn声音huò或gù shì故事，wǒ men我们cóng lái méi yǒu从来没有kè yì刻意qù去bèi sòng背诵guò过，què却néng能jì de记得qīng qīng chǔ chǔ清清楚楚。

In life, there are always some sounds or stories that we have never intentionally memorized, yet we remember them clearly.

yě xǔ也许shì是yī shǒu一首zài在dà jiē xiǎo xiàng大街小巷bō fàng播放de的lǎo gē老歌，zhǐ yào只要qián zòu前奏yī xiǎng一响，nǐ你jiù就néng能gēn zhe跟着hēng chàng哼唱；yě xǔ也许shì是yí gè一个jīng diǎn经典de的tóng huà gù shì童话故事，xiàng像《xī yóu jì西游记》lǐ里de的sūn wù kōng孙悟空，nǎ pà哪怕bù yòng不用kàn shū看书，nǐ你yě也néng能bǎ把lǐ miàn里面de的qíng jié情节jiǎng讲gěi给bié rén别人tīng听。

It might be an old song playing in the streets where you can hum along as soon as the intro starts; or a classic fairy tale, like Sun Wukong in Journey to the West, where you can tell the plot to others without even looking at a book.

zhōng wén中文lǐ里，yǒu有yí gè一个chéng yǔ成语，zhuān mén专门yòng lái用来xíng róng形容zhè zhǒng这种“tīng听dé得tài太duō多，suǒ yǐ所以fēi cháng非常liǎo jiě了解”de的zhuàng tài状态，jiào叫“ěr shú néng xiáng耳熟能详”。

In Chinese, there is an idiom specifically used to describe this state of 'having heard something so much that you know it very well,' called 耳熟能详.

zhè ge这个cí词de的luó jí逻辑fēi cháng非常qīng xī清晰，tā它fēn chéng分成le了liǎng bù两步。

The logic of this word is very clear, divided into two steps.

“ěr shú耳熟”，shì是ěr duǒ耳朵tīng听dé得tài太shú熟le了；“néng xiáng能详”，shì是néng gòu能够xiáng xì详细dì地fù shù复述chū lái出来。

耳熟 means the ears have heard it so often they are familiar; 能详 means being able to recount it in detail.

qǐng请zhù yì注意，zhè lǐ这里de的guān jiàn关键zài yú在于“tīng听”。

Please note, the key here lies in 'listening.'

tā它qiáng diào强调de的bú shì不是tōng guò通过shū běn书本xué xí学习dé lái得来de的zhī shí知识，ér shì而是tōng guò通过“fǎn fù反复de的tīng听”，zài在bù zhī bù jué不知不觉zhōng中xíng chéng形成de的jì yì记忆。

It emphasizes not knowledge gained through book learning, but memory formed unconsciously through 'repeated listening.'

wǒ men我们tōng cháng通常huì会zài在shén me什么qíng kuàng情况xià下yòng用tā它ne呢？

In what situations do we usually use it?

wǎng wǎng往往shì是miàn duì面对nà xiē那些dà jiā大家dōu都zhī dào知道de的jīng diǎn经典shì wù事物shí时。

It is often used when facing classic things that everyone knows.

bǐ rú比如，duì yú对于zhōng guó中国rén人lái来shuō说，hěn很duō多táng shī唐诗shì是“ěr shú néng xiáng耳熟能详”de的；duì yú对于quán shì jiè全世界de的hái zi孩子lái来shuō说，huī gū niáng灰姑娘de的gù shì故事kě néng可能shì是“ěr shú néng xiáng耳熟能详”de的。

For example, for Chinese people, many Tang poems are 耳熟能详; for children all over the world, the story of Cinderella might be 耳熟能详.

zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语qí shí其实jiē shì揭示le了yī zhǒng一种hěn很zì rán自然de的xué xí学习fāng shì方式：jìn pào浸泡。

This idiom actually reveals a very natural way of learning: immersion.

hěn很duō多shí hòu时候，wǒ men我们yǐ wéi以为xué xí学习bì xū必须shì是xīn kǔ辛苦de的、kè yì刻意de的。

Many times, we think learning must be hard work and intentional.

dàn但“ěr shú néng xiáng耳熟能详”gào sù告诉wǒ men我们，zhǐ yào只要nǐ你zài在zhè ge这个huán jìng环境lǐ里dài待dé得gòu够jiǔ久，tīng听dé得gòu够duō多，shèn zhì甚至bù不xū yào需要fèi lì费力，nà xiē那些shēng yīn声音zì rán自然huì会biàn chéng变成nǐ你de的yī bù fèn一部分。

But 耳熟能详 tells us that as long as you stay in that environment long enough and listen enough, those sounds will naturally become a part of you without even trying.

suǒ yǐ所以，xià cì下次dāng当nǐ你fā xiàn发现zì jǐ自己néng能tuō kǒu ér chū脱口而出yī jù一句diàn yǐng电影tái cí台词，huò zhě或者shùn kǒu顺口jiē shàng接上yī jù一句liú xíng yǔ流行语shí时，nǐ你kě yǐ可以duì对zì jǐ自己shuō说：kàn lái看来，zhè这jiàn shì件事duì wǒ lái shuō对我来说，yǐ jīng已经shì是“ěr shú néng xiáng耳熟能详”le了。

So, next time you find yourself blurting out a movie line or catching a slang phrase, you can say to yourself: It seems this matter is already 耳熟能详 to me.

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