墙有耳

牆有耳
qiángyǒu'ěr
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 the walls have ears
  2. 2 secrets are easily overheard
  3. 3 watch what you say

Examples

Xiǎoshēng diǎn, qiáng yǒu ěr.
Keep it down — the walls have ears.
Gōngsī lǐ qiáng yǒu ěr, zhè zhǒng huà bié luàn jiǎng.
The walls have ears at the office — don't go saying things like that.

Tips

history
From 《诗经·小雅·》: 君子属于 — 'a gentleman should not speak lightly, ears cling to the walls.' 《管子》 then made 墙有耳 a proverb. Equivalent to English 'the walls have ears,' with a shared image across both cultures.

Stroke Order

qiáng
yǒu
ěr