The story behind "one arrow, two eagles" is recorded in the History of the Northern Dynasties.
Tips
history
Compiled by 李延寿 and finished in 659 together with its companion 南史, it covers the Northern Wei, Eastern and Western Wei, Northern Qi, Northern Zhou and Sui. It is one of the 二十四史.
culture
一箭双雕 comes from its life of the general 长孙晟, who brought down two eagles fighting over meat with a single arrow. 多如牛毛 and 凤毛麟角 both draw on one of its lines: students are as many as an ox's hairs, those who succeed as rare as a unicorn's horn.
