惊弓之鸟jīng gōng zhī niǎosb who frightens easily, due to past experiences

1. 1.

   sb who frightens easily, due to past experiencesidiom

Figurative meaning

Somebody who frightens easily, due to past experiences.

Literal meaning

A bird startled by the mere twang of a bow.

• 惊to startle
• 弓a bow (weapon)
• 之(possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de5])
• 鸟bird

The story

After a while, a wild goose came flying from the east, and Geng Lei brought it down by plucking his bow without any arrow.

惊弓之鸟 can describe someone who stays nervous after a bad experience.

1. HSK 4

   比赛输了以后，他是惊弓之鸟，很怕再输。

   Bǐsài shū le yǐhòu, tā shì jīng gōng zhī niǎo, hěn pà zài shū.

   After losing the match, he frightens easily and is very afraid of losing again.

2. HSK 5

   他被狗咬过，现在看见狗就害怕，是惊弓之鸟。

   Tā bèi gǒu yǎo guo, xiànzài kànjiàn gǒu jiù hàipà, shì jīng gōng zhī niǎo.

   He was bitten by a dog before; now he gets scared as soon as he sees a dog, because of what happened.

1. 
   Speaker A:

   你怎么不开车了？

   Nǐ zěnme bù kāichē le?

   Why don't you drive anymore?

2. 
   Speaker B:

   上次我的车被撞了。

   Shàngcì wǒ de chē bèi zhuàng le.

   Last time my car got hit.

3. 
   Speaker A:

   所以你现在很害怕？

   Suǒyǐ nǐ xiànzài hěn hàipà?

   So you're scared now?

4. 
   Speaker B:

   是啊，我是惊弓之鸟了。

   Shì a, wǒ shì jīng gōng zhī niǎo le.

   Yes, I frighten easily now because of that.

1. 1.What does 惊弓之鸟 mean?

   ASomebody who frightens easily, due to past experiencesBA bird that sings wellCA good archer
2. 2.Which sentence uses 惊弓之鸟 correctly?

   A他被狗咬过，现在是惊弓之鸟。B这个苹果很惊弓之鸟。C我们惊弓之鸟地吃饭。
3. 3.Which word fits best? 比赛输了以后，他是____，很怕再输。 (After losing the match, he frightens easily and is very afraid of losing again.)

   A惊弓之鸟B九牛一毛C破釜沉舟

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Related idioms

• 打草惊蛇dǎ cǎo jīng shéto inadvertently alert an enemyNot on the HSK 3.0 syllabus
• 杯弓蛇影bēi gōng shé yǐngunnecessary suspicionsNot on the HSK 3.0 syllabus
• 行之有效xíng zhī yǒu xiàoto be effective (idiom)Not on the HSK 3.0 syllabus
• 井底之蛙jǐng dǐ zhī wāa person of limited outlook and experienceHSK 7–9
• 后顾之忧hòu gù zhī yōufears of trouble in the rear (idiom); family worries (obstructing freedom of action)HSK 7–9
• 当务之急dāng wù zhī jí(idiom) top priority job; a matter of the greatest urgencyHSK 7–9

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