眼見為實,耳聽為虛 yǎn jiàn wéi shí , ěr tīng wéi xū

DEFINITIONS

  1. to believe what one sees, not what one hears (idiom). Don't believe what people tell you until you see if for yourself.
  2. It ain't necessarily so.

CHARACTERS

眼 yǎn eye; eyelet, hole, opening
見 jiàn see, observe, behold; perceive
為 wéi do, handle, govern, act; be
實 shí real, true, solid, honest
耳 ěr ear; merely, only; handle
聽 tīng hear, listen; understand; obey
為 wéi do, handle, govern, act; be
虛 xū false, worthless; empty, hollow