耳听为虚，眼见为实 in English er3 ting1 wei2 xu1 , yan3 jian4 wei2 shi2 Meaning

Meanings

  • Take what you hear to be false, only believe it when you see it (idiomatic expression). Don't believe what people tell you until you see if for yourself.
  • It ain't necessarily so.

Simplified Characters

耳 听 为 虚 ， 眼 见 为 实

Traditional Characters

耳 聽 為 虛 ， 眼 見 為 實

Pinyin

er3 ting1 wei2 xu1 , yan3 jian4 wei2 shi2

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

耳er3ear 听ting1smile (archaic) 为wei4as (in the capacity of) 虚xu1emptiness ， 眼yan3eye 见jian4to see 为wei4as (in the capacity of) 实shi2real