掩人耳目 yǎn rén ěr mù deceive

Explanation

比喻用假象迷惑人,欺骗人。

A metaphor for deceiving others with false appearances.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期,有个贪官叫李知县,他鱼肉百姓,搜刮民脂民膏,百姓苦不堪言。为了掩盖自己的罪行,李知县大肆修建庙宇,广施善举,表面上装作慈悲为怀的样子。他每天都去寺庙烧香,捐款,参加各种宗教活动,以博取百姓的好感。他还经常接济穷人,施舍钱财,使得百姓对他赞不绝口,都说他是个好官。但是,百姓们不知道的是,李知县的这些善举都是为了掩人耳目,迷惑他们的眼睛,实际上,他依然在暗中搜刮民财,他的贪婪是藏在慈悲的外衣之下的。然而,纸包不住火,李知县的贪污行为最终还是暴露了。他被朝廷查办,下了大狱,所有的伪装都被揭穿了。这个故事告诉我们,即使你再怎么掩饰,真相终将会大白于天下,任何违法乱纪的行为都是无法长久隐藏的。

huà shuō táng cháo shí qī, yǒu gè tānguān jiào lǐ zhī xiàn, tā yú ròu bǎixìng, sōuguā mín zhī mín gāo, bǎixìng kǔ bù kān yán. wèile yǎngài zìjǐ de zuìxíng, lǐ zhī xiàn dà sì xiūjiàn miàoyǔ, guǎng shī shànjǔ, biǎomiànshàng zhuāng zuò cíbēi wéi huái de yàngzi. tā měi tiān dōu qù sìmiào shāoxiāng, juān kuǎn, cānjiā gè zhǒng zōngjiào huódòng, yǐ bó qǔ bǎixìng de hǎogǎn. tā hái jīngcháng jiē jì qióng rén, shīshě qiáncái, shǐ de bǎixìng duì tā zàn bù jué kǒu, dōu shuō tā shì gè hǎoguān. dànshì, bǎixìngmen bù zhīdào de shì, lǐ zhī xiàn de zhèxiē shànjǔ dōu shì wèile yǎn rén ěr mù, míhuò tāmen de yǎnjīng, shíjì shàng, tā yīrán zài àn zhōng sōuguā mín cái, tā de tānlán shì cáng zài cíbēi de wàiyī zhī xià de. rán'ér, zhǐ bāo bù zhù huǒ, lǐ zhī xiàn de tānwū xíngwéi zuìzhōng hái shì bàolù le. tā bèi cháoting chá bàn, xià le dàyù, suǒyǒu de wěizhuang dōu bèi jiēchuān le. zhège gùshì gàosù wǒmen, jíshǐ nǐ zài zěnme yǎnshì, zhēnxiàng zhōng jiāng huì dàibái yú tiānxià, rènhé wéifǎ luànjì de xíngwéi dōu shì wúfǎ chángjiǔ yǐncáng de.

In the Tang Dynasty, there was a corrupt official named Li Zhixian, who exploited the people and embezzled their wealth. To cover up his crimes, Li Zhixian built temples and performed acts of charity, feigning compassion. He went to temples every day to burn incense, donate, and participate in religious activities to win over the people's favor. He also often helped the poor and gave alms, causing the people to praise him and think he was a good official. However, what the people did not know was that all these good deeds were done by Li Zhixian to deceive the public. In fact, he was still secretly embezzling the people's money, his greed hidden under a cloak of compassion. But paper cannot hide fire for long, and eventually Li Zhixian's embezzlement was discovered. He was investigated and imprisoned by the court, and all his disguises were stripped away. This story teaches us that even if you try to cover up, the truth will eventually come out. Any illegal acts will not be able to hide forever.

Usage

用于比喻用假象迷惑人,欺骗人。

yòng yú bǐyù yòng jiǎxiàng míhuò rén, qīpiàn rén.

Used to describe deceiving others with false appearances.

Examples

  • 他表面上很谦逊,其实是掩人耳目,暗地里却干着坏事。

    tā biǎomiànshàng hěn qiānxùn, qíshí shì yǎn rén ěr mù, àndìli què gànzhe huài shì.

    He is outwardly humble, but in fact he is deceiving people and doing bad things secretly.

  • 公司为了掩人耳目,特意安排了一场发布会。

    gōngsī wèile yǎn rén ěr mù, tèyì ānpái le yī chǎng fābù huì

    In order to deceive people, the company specially arranged a press conference.