眼见为实，耳听为虚 yǎn jiàn wéi shí ， ěr tīng wéi xū

believe what you see, not what you hear

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
见 jiàn HSK 1
to see; to meet; to appear (to be sth)
为 wéi HSK 2
for; because of; to
实 shí HSK 3
real; true; really
耳 ěr HSK 3
ear; handle (archaeology)
听 tīng HSK 1
to listen; to hear; to obey
为 wéi HSK 2
for; because of; to
虚 xū HSK 5
false; empty or unoccupied; (of health) weak