Definition
逆耳 is a literary stative verb meaning 'unpleasant to the ear'. It's most often encountered in the set phrase 忠言逆耳 (zhōngyán nì'ěr, 'loyal advice is unpleasant to the ear') from the proverb 良药苦口利于病，忠言逆耳利于行 — 'good medicine tastes bitter but heals; honest advice grates on the ear but helps action.' You can use it on its own to describe words or advice that are hard to hear but valuable.
s.v.
unpleasant to the eargrating (usually of honest, critical advice)
Examples
- 逆耳，。Zhōngyán nì ěr, dàn duì wǒmen yǒu hǎochu.Loyal advice is unpleasant to hear, but it benefits us.
- 逆耳，。Zhèxiē huà suīrán nì ěr, què shì zhēnxīn wèi nǐ hǎo.Though these words are grating to the ear, they are genuinely for your own good.
- 逆耳。Tā tīng bu jìn rènhé nì ěr de huà.He won't listen to anything unpleasant to his ears.
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