惊弓之鸟
- Literal
- a bird startled by the mere twang of a bow
- Figurative
- Someone so badly frightened by a past experience that they panic at the slightest hint of danger, real or not; once bitten, twice shy.
Where does 惊弓之鸟 come from?
The archer Geng Lei told the king of Wei that he could bring down a bird without an arrow, using only the twang of his bowstring. When a wild goose flew past, he drew the empty bow and let the string snap, and the bird dropped to the ground. Astonished, the king asked how. Geng Lei explained that the goose flew slowly and cried mournfully because it was a survivor wounded by an earlier arrow and long parted from its flock; hearing the bow again, sheer terror made it beat its wings hard, its old wound reopened, and it fell.
Source (出处): 《战国策·楚策》
How is 惊弓之鸟 used? Two examples
- 出过一次车祸以后，他一坐车就紧张，简直成了惊弓之鸟。
Ever since his car accident, he gets tense the moment he gets in a car; he's become a bundle of nerves.
- 被骗过钱以后，她像惊弓之鸟，看到陌生电话就不敢接。
After being scammed out of her money, she's so once-bitten that she won't even answer an unknown number.
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