Horse's Ears and the Eastern Wind

Are you familiar with the proverb 'Horse's Ears and the Eastern Wind'? Perhaps you're more familiar with 'Pearls before swine'? It turns out, these two have a deep connection. Why not take this opportunity to delve into the secrets behind both 'Horse's Ears and the Eastern Wind' and 'Pearls before swine'?

Horse's Ears and the Eastern Wind Basic Infomation

What does 'Horse's Ears and the Eastern Wind' mean?

It means completely ignoring or letting others' opinions and criticisms go in one ear and out the other.

How did this proverb originate?

It is said to have originated from a poem written by Li Bai during the Tang Dynasty called 'Reply to Wang Twelve on a Cold Night.' A line in the poem goes, 'When people hear it, they all shake their heads, as the eastern wind blows through horse's ears,' which simplifies to mean 'Even though I share my poetry with the world, everyone shakes their head, not understanding. It's as if the spring breeze touches horse's ears, but the horse feels no emotion or excitement whatsoever.'

Besides 'Reply to Wang Twelve on a Cold Night,' 'Horse's Ears and the Eastern Wind' was also used in the poem 'Harmonizing with Minister He's Six Rhymes,' by Su Shi, a poet of the Song Dynasty. He lamented that explaining the beauty and grandeur of nature to people in the streets fell on deaf ears, expressed as 'What difference is there to the eastern wind blowing through horse's ears?'

Horse's Ears and the Eastern Wind Q&A

Let's give 'Horse's Ears and the Eastern Wind' a modern twist!

Let's try to reinterpret 'Horse's Ears and the Eastern Wind' in a more contemporary way.

・Geniuses ignoring the talk of ordinary folks

・Ignoring messages from someone you're not interested in as if they were unread

This is what it could look like!

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