https://m.primal.net/INIr.webp

In my grandfather's era it was used as a warning to children to not repeat what the parents were saying, especialy topics surrounding politics. Between 1948 to 1987 Taiwan was under martial law -- political white terror, grandparents would shuffle between languages (Japanese) so the kids couldn't keep up as a safety precaution. A non-zero amount of friends and relatives have been dragged to jail in the middle of the night, some never to be seen or heard from again. 有耳無嘴 meant "pipsqueak, pipe down and stfu"

For my dad he uses the phrase as some way to signify that times are changing for the better. I grew up around a dinner table to talk politics with friends and family all the time, making fun of politicians poking fun at the people in power without any care or worry that someone could be dragged away into the night. 有耳無嘴 meant be grateful we live in better times.

For me this phrase has evolved to give me another meaning: it is a reminder to never be put into a situation where you can't speak out. How painful is it to not have a voice in an era where a firehose of information is constantly flowing into our eyes and ears. Our "ears" are able to tap into volumes of information that our predecessors can only dream of, dont squander the opportunity to speak out -- don't allow onself to process information without a mouth.

Nostr is great :)