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To deliberately ignore or pay no attention to something, especially out of indifference or disregard.
领导对员工的合理诉求置若罔闻，导致团队士气低落。
The leader turned a deaf ear to the employees' reasonable demands, resulting in low morale.
尽管邻居多次投诉，他仍然置若罔闻，继续制造噪音。
Despite multiple complaints from the neighbors, he continued to turn a deaf ear and kept making noise.
Often implies a negative judgment on the person's indifference or stubbornness.
This idiom reflects traditional Chinese values of attentiveness and responsibility. Ignoring advice or warnings (especially from elders or superiors) is seen as a moral failing in Confucian thought.
Use this idiom when criticizing someone's refusal to acknowledge valid input, warnings, or advice. It’s stronger than 'ignore' and implies stubbornness or arrogance.
From the classical Chinese text '《礼记·大学》': '心不在焉，视而不见，听而不闻，食而不知其味。' The idiom combines '置' (to place/ignore), '若' (as if), '罔' (nothing), and '闻' (to hear), conveying the idea of ignoring as if one heard nothing.
This idiom is often used to criticize someone's deliberate neglect or indifference toward important matters, especially when they should be paying attention. It carries a stronger tone than 'ignore' and implies stubbornness or lack of concern.