Chinese Idiom: 隔墙有耳 (géqiángyǒu’ěr) Walls Have Ears
Key Learning Point (Preview):
隔墙有耳 (géqiángyǒu'ěr): walls have ears
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Cóngqián, yǒu yíge hàoqíxīn hěn zhòng de rén.
从前, 有 一个 好奇心 很 重 的 人。
Once upon a time, there was a curious man.
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Tā zǒngshì xǐhuan sìchù dǎting biérén de mìmi.
他 总是 喜欢 四处 打听 别人 的 秘密。
He liked to invade other peoples' privacy.
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Tā zhīdào de mìmi tài duō le, biē zài xīnlǐ hěn nánshòu.
他 知道 的 秘密 太 多 了,憋 在 心里 很 难受。
He knew too many secrets and found it hard to keep them all.
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Yì tiān, tā hē le jǐ bēi jiǔ, jiéguǒ bǎ zìjǐ dǎting dào de shìqing quánbù shuōle chūlái.
一 天,他 喝了几 杯 酒,结果 把 自己 打听 到 的 事情 全部 说了 出来。
One day he drank several cups of wine, and while drunk spilled all the secrets.
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Tā méi xiǎng dào, gébì fángjiān lǐ de rén tīngjiàn le tā shuō de huà.
他 没 想 到,隔壁 房间 里 的 人 听见 了 他 说 的 话。
To his surprise, the man next door heard all he said.
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Méi guò duōjiǔ, suǒyǒu rén dōu zhīdào le tā duōzuǐ de huài máobìng.
没 过 多久, 所有 人 都 知道 了 他 多嘴 的 坏 毛病。
Very soon, everyone knew of his bad habit of gossiping.
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The walls may not have ears, but the person next door does. At least that's true in this story. "隔墙有耳 (Géqiángyǒu'ěr)" is a phrase used to alert people to be careful about their words, as someone may be listening in from the other side of the wall.
Key Learning Point:
隔墙有耳 (géqiángyǒu'ěr) walls have ears
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"隔 (gé)" means "next to;" "墙 (qiáng)" means "wall;" "有 (yǒu)" means "have;" "耳 (ěr)" means "ear."
Examples:
Zài gōnggòng chǎnghé shuōhuà xiǎoxīndiǎnr, géqiángyǒu'ěr a!
在 公共 场合 说话 小心点儿, 隔墙有耳 啊!
Be careful of what you say in public, the walls have ears.
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Xū, xiǎoshēng diǎnr, nǐ zhīdào, géqiángyǒu'ěr.
嘘,小声 点儿,你 知道, 隔墙有耳。
Ssh! Be careful! There may be eavesdroppers you know.
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