- 掩耳盗铃 yǎn'ěrdàolíng to deceive oneselfliterally meaning to cover one's ears while stealing a bell; describes someone who tries to deceive themselves or thinks they can trick others when the truth is obvious to everyone.
- 迅雷不及掩耳 xùnléibùjíyǎn'ěr at lightning speedmeaning literally that a sudden clap of thunder occurs before one has time to cover one's ears; describes an action or event that happens so quickly that there is no time to prepare for it
- 疾雷不及掩耳 jíléibùjíyǎn'ěr lightning fasta thunderclap so sudden that one has no time to cover one's ears; describes an action that is so swift and unexpected that it catches others completely off guard
- 盗钟掩耳 dàozhōngyǎn'ěr to deceive oneselfliterally to steal a bell while covering one's ears; to ignore the reality of a situation or deceive oneself into believing a lie is working
