A human ear traced in profile: the curling outer rim spiraling down toward the lobe, exactly the shape you would draw today if asked to sketch an ear in one unbroken line. The scribes needed no extra symbol — the ear's own curve was distinctive enough to write itself. Once you can spot 耳, you will find it standing at the side of characters about hearing, sound, and news carried on the wind.
A piece of culture
Walls have ears Long before English or Dutch adopted the phrase, Chinese already had it in writing: the ancient political text 管子 (Guanzi), more than two thousand years old, warns 墙有耳，伏寇在侧 — "walls have ears, and an enemy may be crouched close by." The modern version, 隔墙有耳, is still exactly what a Chinese parent says today before lowering their voice.
Use it in a real word
耳目
ěrmù · ji5 muk6
ears and eyes — an informant, or one's sources of information; built from the two body parts you just collected