杯弓蛇影
杯弓蛇影 (bēi gōng shé yǐng) literally means “bow in cup snake shadow” and expresses “needlessly suspicious”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving life philosophy.
Also searched as: bei gong she ying, bei gong she ying,杯弓蛇影 meaning, 杯弓蛇影 in english
Needlessly suspicious
Pronunciation: bēi gōng shé yǐng Literal meaning: Bow in cup snake shadow
Origin & Usage
Ying Shao's Comprehensive Meaning of Customs tells of a guest who saw a snake (蛇) in the wine he had been handed, drank it out of politeness, and went home ill for months. His host, working out where the man had been sitting, found a painted bow (弓) on the wall and its reflection (影) lying in the cup (杯). He sat the guest in the same seat, showed him the snake, and the illness lifted that day. The History of the Jin tells a close variant about Yue Guang. The phrase names fear generated by a misreading, and the cure in both versions is to reproduce the conditions rather than to argue.
Examples
English: "The team's excessive caution about minor changes paralyzed decision-making"
Chinese: 团队对小变化的过度警惕导致决策瘫痪
Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about life philosophy
画蛇添足
huà shé tiān zú
Ruin by adding extras
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虎头蛇尾
hǔ tóu shé wěi
Strong start with weak finish
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惊弓之鸟
jīng gōng zhī niǎo
Fear from past trauma
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风声鹤唳
fēng shēng hè lì
Overly fearful and suspicious
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守株待兔
shǒu zhū dài tù
Wait passively for luck
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杞人忧天
qǐ rén yōu tiān
Worry needlessly about impossible disasters
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浮光掠影
fú guāng lüè yǐng
Superficial impression without depth
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草木皆兵
cǎo mù jiē bīng
Extreme paranoia sees threats everywhere
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 杯弓蛇影 mean in English?
杯弓蛇影 (bēi gōng shé yǐng) literally translates to “Bow in cup snake shadow” and is used to express “Needlessly suspicious”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Life Philosophy category.
When is 杯弓蛇影 used?
Situation: The team's excessive caution about minor changes paralyzed decision-making
What is the pinyin for 杯弓蛇影?
The pinyin pronunciation for 杯弓蛇影 is “bēi gōng shé yǐng”.
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