📖 Meaning
To teach or instruct someone with great earnestness and sincerity, going so far as to pull at their ear while speaking directly to their face. It describes elders or mentors giving patient, heartfelt guidance.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom comes from the poem 'Yi' (抑) in the 'Greater Odes' (大雅) section of the Book of Songs (诗经), China's oldest poetry anthology compiled during the Western Zhou dynasty. The original line reads: '匪面命之，言提其耳' — 'I did not merely instruct you face to face, but also pulled your ear to make sure you listened.' This vividly portrays an elder's urgent, wholehearted exhortation, which later evolved into the idiom to describe teaching with tireless sincerity.
💡 Example Usage
恩师的耳提面命，使我一生受用不尽。
My mentor's earnest face-to-face instruction has benefited me endlessly throughout my life.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 耳提面命
- Pinyin: ěr tí miàn mìng
- Literal Translation: ear, lift, face, command
- Category: Learning
- Characters: 4