In ancient times, Emperor Yao heard of Xu You, a reclusive sage, and decided to offer him the throne. Yao approached Xu You and said, "If you take the throne, the world will surely be well-governed. Please allow me to step aside." Xu You replied, "You have already brought order to the world. If I took your place, I would merely be stealing your name. I have no interest in such things." With that, Xu You retreated to the Ying River to wash his ears, refusing the offer entirely. This story reminds us that true wisdom often lies in knowing what to decline.
So, he sent an envoy to Mount Ji, where Xu You lived in seclusion. The envoy arrived, met Xu You, and told him that Emperor Yao wished to yield the throne to him. Xu You said, "I have no interest in any throne. Please go back!"
After the messenger left, Xu You felt the envoy's words had polluted his pure ears, so he immediately ran down the mountain to the Ying River, cupped water, and washed his ears.
Xu You's friend Chaofu, also living in seclusion here, happened to be leading an ox to drink water and asked Xu You what he was doing. Xu You quickly told him the news and said, "How could I not wash my clean ears after hearing such filthy words?"
Chao Fu sneered and said, "Hmph, who told you to show off and build a reputation? Now you've stirred up trouble—it's entirely your own doing. Why bother washing your ears! Forget it, don't dirty my calf's mouth!"
With that, he led the calf and walked straight toward the upstream of the river.
This story, known as "Washing Ears in Mount Ji," was recorded by Jin dynasty scholar Huangfu Mi in his work *Biographies of High-Minded Men*. The term "washing ears" originates here, but its meaning has completely shifted. Originally, the sage Xu You washed his ears because he refused to hear worldly affairs, priding himself on his purity. He was offered the throne by Emperor Yao and, disgusted by the offer, went to a stream to rinse his ears. When a friend asked why, Xu You replied, "I must cleanse them of such corrupting talk." Today, "washing ears" means preparing to listen respectfully, as in the phrase "to wash one's ears and listen with reverence"—cleaning them to attentively receive wise words or beautiful music.
"The idiom 'washing ears to listen respectfully' was originally a polite phrase used when asking someone to speak, but now it is also used with a sarcastic or joking tone."
Source: *Biographies of High-Minded Men*, Chapter "Biography of Xu You"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "洗耳恭听" came to describe how one person's strength cannot reverse a crumbling situation.