冥顽不灵 Mingwan buling
Explanation
冥顽不灵是一个汉语成语，形容愚昧无知，不听劝告，固执己见。这个成语出自唐代韩愈的《祭鳄鱼文》，文中韩愈用这个词来形容鳄鱼不听劝告，继续伤害人畜。
Mingwan buling is a Chinese idiom that describes someone who is ignorant, stubborn, and refuses to listen to advice. The idiom comes from Han Yu's “Ode to the Crocodile”, a text from the Tang dynasty, in which Han Yu uses the idiom to describe the crocodile's refusal to listen to warnings and its continued harming of people and animals.
Origin Story
唐朝大文学家韩愈，因为上书进谏得罪了唐宪宗，被贬到潮州做刺史。他上任后，听闻潮州附近的一条河中常有鳄鱼出没，袭击百姓，就写了一篇《祭鳄鱼文》，文中告诫鳄鱼，如果再伤害百姓，就要遭到惩罚。但鳄鱼仍然不听劝告，继续在河中肆虐。韩愈为了保护百姓，下令捕捉鳄鱼，最终将鳄鱼赶走，使百姓安居乐业。
Han Yu, a great literary figure in the Tang dynasty, was demoted to be the governor of Chaozhou because he offended Emperor Xianzong of Tang Dynasty by writing a memorial to him. After taking office, he heard that there were often crocodiles in a nearby river, attacking the people, so he wrote a text called “Ode to the Crocodile”, warning the crocodile that it would be punished if it continued to harm the people. But the crocodile still did not listen to the warnings and continued to rampage in the river. To protect the people, Han Yu ordered the capture of the crocodile and finally drove it away, so that the people could live in peace.
Usage
冥顽不灵通常用于批评那些固执己见、不听劝告的人，也用来讽刺那些顽固守旧、不思进取的人。
Mingwan buling is usually used to criticize those who are stubborn, refuse to listen to advice, and are set in their ways. It is also used to ridicule those who are conservative and do not want to make progress.
Examples
-
面对批评，他始终冥顽不灵，不知悔改。
miàn duì pī píng, tā shǐ zhōng míng wán bù líng, bù zhī huǐ gǎi.
He remained obstinate in the face of criticism and showed no remorse.
-
这个计划明明有问题，他却冥顽不灵，执意要执行。
zhè ge jì huà míng míng yǒu wèn tí, tā què míng wán bù líng, zhí yì yào zhí xíng.
This plan is clearly flawed, but he is adamant and insists on implementing it.