耳闻

耳聞

ěrwén

verb #16,467

Meanings

1 to hear of
2 to hear about

Characters

to hear; to smell; news

Examples

我早就耳闻他的大名。

Wǒ zǎojiù ěrwén tā de dàmíng.

I heard of his great name long ago.

耳闻不如一见。

Ěrwén bùrú yī jiàn.

Hearing about it is not as good as seeing it.

Tips

register

耳闻 is literary/formal. In everyday speech, people say 听说 instead.

usage

Often appears in the set phrase 耳闻目睹 (to hear and see personally).

Stroke Order

耳 ěr

闻 wén