Usage of the character 耳

to intentionally reinterpret a spoken expression as if one had misheard it, for the sake of humor (often, it is a phrase in a foreign language twisted into a similar-sounding phrase in one's native language with a completely different meaning) (orthographic borrowing from Japanese 空耳 "soramimi")

ěrguāng

耳光

[耳光]

a slap on the face
CL:記／记 (jì)

qīng'ěr

倾耳

[傾耳]

to prick up one's ear
to listen attentively

shùn'ěr

顺耳

[順耳]

pleasing to the ear

ěrshú

耳熟

[耳熟]

to sound familiar
familiar-sounding

ěrpàn

耳畔

[耳畔]

ears

ěrruǎn

耳软

[耳軟]

credulous

jiāo'ěr

焦耳

[焦耳]

joule (loanword)

ěrlóng

耳聋

[耳聾]

deaf

ěrmó

耳膜

[耳膜]

eardrum
tympanum (of the middle ear)
tympanic membrane

Lǐ Er

李耳

[李耳]

Lao Zi

ěrchuí

耳垂

[耳垂]

earlobe

ěrzhào

耳罩

[耳罩]

earmuffs

ěrmíng

耳鸣

[耳鳴]

tinnitus

zhōng'ěr

中耳

[中耳]

middle ear

ěrgǔ

耳鼓

[耳鼓]

eardrum
tympanum (of the middle ear)
tympanic membrane

ěrwā

耳挖

[耳挖]

earpick
curette

ěrbèi

耳背

[耳背]

to be hearing impaired

ěrshì

耳饰

[耳飾]

ear ornament (earring, eardrop, stud etc)

nì'ěr

逆耳

[逆耳]

unpleasant to hear
grates on the ear (of home truths)

guō'ěr

聒耳

[聒耳]

raucous
ear-splitting

qīn'ěr

亲耳

[親耳]

with one's own ears

ěrmù

耳目

[耳目]

eyes and ears
sb's attention or notice
information
knowledge
spies

ěrgēn

耳根

[耳根]

base of the ear
ear
(Buddhism) sense of hearing

ěrlì

耳力

[耳力]

hearing ability

ěrwō

耳蜗

[耳蝸]

cochlea

ěrguō

耳郭

[耳郭]

outer ear
auricle
pinna

ěrtòng

耳痛

[耳痛]

earache

ěrshí

耳石

[耳石]

otolith

ěrwén

耳闻

[耳聞]

to hear of
to hear about

cì'ěr

刺耳

[刺耳]

ear-piercing

ěrlà

耳蜡

[耳蠟]

earwax
cerumen

ěrsāi

耳塞

[耳塞]

earplug
earphone

ěrwēnqiāng

耳温枪

[耳溫槍]

ear thermometer

hēimù'ěr

黑木耳

[黑木耳]

Auricularia auricula-judae, an edible fungus

hè'ěryīng

褐耳鹰

[褐耳鷹]

(bird species of China) shikra (Accipiter badius)

Mǎ'ěrtā

马耳他

[馬耳他]

Malta

ěrbiānfēng

耳边风

[耳邊風]

lit. wind past your ear
fig. sth you don't pay much attention to
in one ear and out the other

zhé'ěrgēn

折耳根

[折耳根]

chameleon plant; fish mint (Houttuynia cordata), esp. its edible rhizome

zhāofēng'ěr

招风耳

[招風耳]

jug ears

ěrkuòhú

耳廓狐

[耳廓狐]

fennec
Vulpes zerda

cháng'ěrxiāo

长耳鸮

[長耳鴞]

(bird species of China) long-eared owl (Asio otus)

ěrwāsháo

耳挖勺

[耳挖勺]

(dialect) earpick
curette

wài'ěrdào

外耳道

[外耳道]

external auditory meatus
auditory canal, between the outer ear 外耳 and tympanum 鼓膜

zhōng'ěryán

中耳炎

[中耳炎]

inflammation of middle ear
otitis media

dǎ'ěrguāng

打耳光

[打耳光]

to slap on the face
to box sb's ears

nèi'ěrdào

内耳道

[內耳道]

internal auditory meatus (canal in temporal bone of skull housing auditory nerves)

ěrduoruǎn

耳朵软

[耳朵軟]

credulous

ěrguāzi

耳刮子

[耳刮子]

(coll.) a slap on one's face
a cuff

credulous person
credulous

ěrgēnruǎn

耳根软

[耳根軟]

credulous

yǎo'ěrduo

咬耳朵

[咬耳朵]

(coll.) to whisper in sb's ear

Aì'ěrrì

爱耳日

[愛耳日]

Ear Care Day (March 3)

pā'ěrduo

耙耳朵

[耙耳朵]

(dialect) henpecked
to be under one's wife's thumb

Xióng'ěrshān

熊耳山

[熊耳山]

Mt Xiong'er national geological park in 棗莊／枣庄 ( Zǎozhuāng), south Shandong

Tǔ'ěrqí

土耳其

[土耳其]

Turkey

ěrguāizi

耳掴子

[耳摑子]

slap

báimù'ěr

白木耳

[白木耳]

white fungus (Tremella fuciformis)
snow fungus

hóng'ěrbēi

红耳鹎

[紅耳鵯]

(bird species of China) red-whiskered bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus)

ěrshízhèng

耳石症

[耳石症]

benign paroxysmal positional vertigo; BPPV

ěrzhuìzi

耳坠子

[耳墜子]

eardrops (pendant jewelry)
earrings
CL:對／对 (duì),隻／只 (zhī)

ěryuánxìng

耳源性

[耳源性]

otogenic

lì'ěrwú

栗耳鹀

[栗耳鵐]

(bird species of China) chestnut-eared bunting (Emberiza fucata)

ěrwāzi

耳挖子

[耳挖子]

earpick
curette

zhíniú'ěr

执牛耳

[執牛耳]

to be the acknowledged leader (from the custom of a prince holding a plate on which lay the severed ears of a sacrificial bull at an alliance ceremony)

Bōyì'ěr

波义耳

[波義耳]