译文：范氏灭亡了，有个人趁机偷了一口钟。想要背着它逃跑，但是，这口钟太大了，背不动；于是用槌子把钟砸碎，刚一砸，钟锽锽的响声很大。他生怕别人听到钟声，来把钟夺走了，就急忙把自己的耳朵紧紧捂住。他以为捂住自己的耳朵别人就听不到了，这就太荒谬了。比喻自己欺骗自己。

《古代寓言·掩耳盗钟》

范氏之亡也，百姓有得钟者。
欲负而走，则钟大不可负。
以椎毁之钟况然有音。恐人闻之而夺已也，逐掩其耳。
——恶人闻之，可也；恶已自闻之，悖矣。
——《吕氏春秋》

Stealing the Bell
After the fall of the house of Fan, a man got hold of a bronze bell. It was too big to carry away on his back, and when he tried to break it with a hammer it made such a din that he feared others might hear and take it away from him. So he hastily stopped his ears.
It was all right to worry about others hearing the noise, but foolish to stop his own ears.
The Discourses of Lü Buwei