Chinese Wisdom Stories · Volume 1 · Story guide
杯弓蛇影(A Bow's Shadow in the Cup)
bēi gōng shé yǐng
HSK4-成语故事
A guest drinks at a friend's home and believes he has swallowed a snake. The fear becomes so real that he falls ill — and his host sets up the same scene again to let the truth show itself.
Where this story comes from
《晋书·乐广传》
History of the Jin Dynasty, biography of Yue Guang
The story
乐广的朋友在他家喝完酒,回家后总觉得肚子里有一条蛇,从此病倒。乐广没有空口安慰,而是把朋友请回来,重新坐在原来的位置上——墙上挂着的弓,正好倒映在杯子里。他让朋友亲眼看见:杯子里从来没有蛇。恐惧是怎么让一个假象变成真病的,原文把每一步都写得很清楚。
What the idiom means
杯弓蛇影(bēi gōng shé yǐng)指把弓影误认为蛇,比喻疑神疑鬼、自己吓自己,把并不存在的东西当成真实的危险。
To mistake a shadow for a snake — imagining dangers that do not exist.
How to use it
他只是两天没回消息,你别杯弓蛇影,把事情想得那么严重。
tā zhǐ shì liǎng tiān méi huí xiāo xī , nǐ bié bēi gōng shé yǐng , bǎ shì qíng xiǎng dé nà me yán zhòng 。
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Part of the Chinese Wisdom Stories series