dong3 ji5 bin1 fung1當耳邊風当耳边风
Jyutpingdong3 ji5 bin1 fung1
Yaledong yíh bīn fūng
Definition
To turn a deaf ear to; to treat advice or warnings as wind blowing past the ears.
colloquialcommunicationemotion
How it's used
This idiom is used to describe someone who is being willfully dismissive of advice or warnings. It carries a strong sense of frustration from the speaker, implying that the listener is being stubborn or disrespectful. It is almost exclusively used in negative contexts where the speaker expects their words to have weight.
Examples
I have told him several times, but he ignores everything.
Related words
Common phrases
completely ignore
let it blow past like wind
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use this as a direct verb like ignore, but it functions more like a set phrase describing an attitude. You must include the object or context of what is being ignored, often using 係 to connect the advice to the wind metaphor.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
