The Idiom 惊弓之鸟 (jīnɡ ɡōnɡ zhī niǎo) literally means “A Bird got Frightened just by the Sound of a Bowstring”. It refers to someone who gets very frightened and nervous easily. It implies that if a man has been previously and repeatedly frightened, he will become anxious and uneasy after that. During the Warring States period，there was a well-known archer named Geng Ying whose shooting art was very excellent. One day, he saw a wild goose flying overhead as he was standing by the side of the King of Wei. Geng Ying said to the King: "King, I can bring down the goose just by the twang of my bow-string." The King doubted: ”Your shooting can be this good?” “Yes!” Geng answered. Just then a solitary wild goose appeared in its flight. Instantly Geng Ying bended his bow and pulled the bowstring. Twang! The bird fell down to the ground. The king was very surprised and said: ”It’s unbelievable! How did you do that?” Geng Ying then explained: "The bird is an injured one.” “How did you know that?” The king became even more surprised. Geng told the King: ”The goose was slow in its flight and sad in its cry. It was crying in a bitter tone, because it had lost its companions for a long time and his wound was hurting it.” Due to the fact that it was already hurt and sad at heart, the shrilling sound made its heart beat fast, its wings weak, its balance uneven. Thus it fell down to the ground. How to use 惊弓之鸟: 遇到 危险，她 像 惊弓之鸟 一样 四处逃窜。 (yùdào wēixiǎn, tā xiànɡ jīnɡɡōnɡzhīniǎo yíyànɡ sìchùtáocuàn) Facing danger, she fled like a frightened bird. 广场上 突然 发生了 爆炸，人们 都 变成了 惊弓之鸟。 (ɡuǎnɡchǎnɡshànɡ tūrán fāshēnɡle bàozhà, rénmen dōu biànchénɡle jīnɡɡōnɡzhīniǎo) People became frightened birds after the sudden explosion on the square. 在 警察的 追捕 下，犯人 成了 一群 惊弓之鸟。 (zài jǐnɡcháde zhuībǔ xià, fànrén chénɡle yìqún jīnɡɡōnɡzhīniǎo) Under the chase of the police, the criminals were like a flock of frightened birds. |
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