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

seeing is believing; don’t trust rumors

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 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. 2. It ain't necessarily so.

Characters

Character Meaning
眼 yǎn HSK 2
eye; crux (of a matter); small hole
見 jiàn
to see; to meet; to appear (to be sth)
為 wéi
for; because of; to
實 shí
real; true; really
耳 ěr HSK 3
ear; handle (archaeology)
聽 tīng
to listen; to hear; to obey
為 wéi
for; because of; to
虛 xū
false; empty or unoccupied; (of health) weak