ji5 bin1 fung1耳邊風耳边风
Jyutpingji5 bin1 fung1
Yaleyíh bīn fūng
Definition
Advice or remarks that are unheeded or ignored; in one ear and out the other.
colloquialcommunicationpeople
How it's used
This idiom specifically describes advice or warnings that someone hears but chooses to ignore completely. It carries a sense of frustration from the speaker, implying that the listener is being dismissive or stubborn. It is almost always used in the structure of treating something as耳邊風, emphasizing the act of disregarding the message.
Examples
Are you treating what I said as if it were wind passing by your ears?
He always treats my advice as if it were just noise.
Related words
Common phrases
to treat as something to be ignored
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for simply meaning nonsense or gibberish, but it specifically refers to information that is ignored or disregarded by the listener, not necessarily information that is incomprehensible.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
