耳提面命
Chinese
| ear | to carry; to lift; to put forward to carry; to lift; to put forward; (upwards character stroke); lifting (brush stroke in painting); to mention; carry (suspended) |
face; side; surface face; side; surface; aspect; top |
life; fate | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (耳提面命) | 耳 | 提 | 面 | 命 | |
| simp. #(耳提面命) | 耳 | 提 | 面 | 命 | |
| Literally: “hold one by the ear in their presence and give instructions”. | |||||
Etymology
From the Classic of Poetry, poem 256 《抑》:
- 匪手攜之，言示之事。
- From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11th – 7th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
- Fěi shǒu xié zhī, yán shì zhī shì.
Fěi miàn mìng zhī, yán tí qí ěr. [Pinyin] - Not only did I lead you by the hand,
But I showed the difference between them by appealing to instances.
Not did I charge you face to face,
But I held you by the ear.
匪面命之，言提其耳。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
匪手携之，言示之事。
匪面命之，言提其耳。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]
Pronunciation
- Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Hanyu Pinyin: ěrtímiànmìng
- Zhuyin: ㄦˇ ㄊㄧˊ ㄇㄧㄢˋ ㄇㄧㄥˋ
- Tongyong Pinyin: ěrtímiànmìng
- Wade–Giles: êrh3-tʻi2-mien4-ming4
- Yale: ěr-tí-myàn-mìng
- Gwoyeu Romatzyh: eeltyimiannminq
- Palladius: эртимяньмин (ertimjanʹmin)
- Sinological IPA (key): /ˀɤɻ²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰi³⁵ mi̯ɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ miŋ⁵¹/
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Middle Chinese: nyiX dej mjienH mjaengH
- Old Chinese
- (Baxter–Sagart): /*C.nəʔ [d]ˤe C.me[n]-s m-riŋ-s/
- (Zhengzhang): /*njɯʔ deː mens mreŋs/
Idiom
耳提面命
- personally give earnest exhortations
- 姚文元在江青耳提面命下发表的对历史剧《海瑞罢官》的批评是彻头彻尾的政治诬陷。 [MSC, simp.]
- From: 1 Feb 1979, 黎澍《一个围歼知识分子的大阴谋——评姚文元对〈海瑞罢官〉的批评》, in People's Daily, page 3
- Yáo Wényuán zài Jiāng Qīng ěrtímiànmìng xià fābiǎo de duì lìshǐjù “Hǎi Ruì Bàguān” de pīpíng shì chètóuchèwěi de zhèngzhì wūxiàn. [Pinyin]
- The critique of the historical drama Hai Rui Dismissed from Office, delivered by Yao Wenyuan under Jiang Qing's tête-à-tête instructions, constituted a thoroughly political setup.
姚文元在江青耳提面命下發表的對歷史劇《海瑞罷官》的批評是徹頭徹尾的政治誣陷。 [MSC, trad.]