Chinese idiom · 成语
耳目一新
Meaning
Ears and eyes refreshed; a novel experience.
Character by character
Origin and story
Historical account and literary usageAn antecedent appears in the Book of Wei's account of Yuan Jian. As governor of Qizhou, he combined the emperor's reform instructions with local customs to create orderly regulations. The emperor praised his arrangements, and the people reportedly said their ears and eyes had been renewed. The passage uses er mu geng xin, a related form rather than the exact modern expression.
Bai Juyi later used similar language in his record of rebuilding Xiangshan Temple: repaired buildings, safer images, and a restored setting refreshed visitors' perceptions. Both passages connect the feeling of newness with a changed experience, which remains central to the idiom.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
这次展览把老照片做成了互动地图，让我耳目一新。
This exhibition turned old photographs into an interactive map, which felt refreshingly new to me.
Emphasizes the viewer's fresh impression, not merely physical renovation.