耳熟能详
ěr shú néng xiáng · HSK 7
what's frequently heard can be repeated in detail (idiom)
👂🔁 ear + familiar + can + detail: heard so often you know every word
Each character maps directly: ear (耳) finds it familiar (熟), so you can (能) recite every detail (详). Like a song heard a thousand times — you know every lyric by heart.
熟 — 享 (offering) + 灬 (fire)
Originally written 孰, depicting hands offering food (享) for cooking. The fire radical 灬 was later added to emphasize cooking with heat. The core sense 'cooked' extended naturally to 'ripe,' 'familiar,' and 'skilled through repeated practice.'
能 — 厶 (head) + 月 (body/flesh) + 匕匕 (legs)
Originally a pictograph of a bear, showing its head, body, and powerful legs. Because bears were seen as strong and capable, the character was borrowed to mean 'ability' or 'can'. A new character 熊 (with the fire radical 灬) was later created for 'bear'.