Chinese idiom · 成语
耳提面命
Meaning
To instruct by ear and face; to teach earnestly and directly.
Character by character
Origin and story
Literary expressionShijing (詩經), Da Ya: Yi (大雅·抑), addresses someone who still fails to distinguish good from bad despite repeated instruction. The speaker says that guidance has gone beyond leading by the hand and speaking face to face: it is as if the listener’s ears must be taken hold of to make the lesson register.
The forceful bodily image conveys urgency and close attention. The poem’s words were later rearranged into the idiom, which describes earnest, repeated teaching or admonition. It need not involve literal ear-pulling, and it commonly suggests the relationship of a parent, teacher, or senior guide to someone being instructed.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
第一次独自出远门前，爸爸耳提面命，反复叮嘱我保管好证件。
Before my first trip alone, Dad repeatedly and earnestly reminded me to look after my documents.
For serious personal instruction, often from an elder; not any casual conversation.