惊弓之鸟

驚弓之鳥
jīnggōngzhīniǎo
idiom #43,806

Meanings

  1. 1 lit. a bird startled by the mere twang of a bow
  2. 2 someone who spooks easily due to past trauma; a badly frightened person

Examples

Jīnglì guò nà cì shìgù hòu, tā chéng le jīnggōngzhīniǎo.
After that accident, he became a frightened bird — jumping at every sound.
Díjūn yǐ shì jīnggōngzhīniǎo, bùkānyījī.
The enemy troops were like birds startled by a bowstring — they couldn't withstand a single blow.

Tips

history
From a Warring States account: an archer drew an empty bow and a passing wild goose dropped from the sky. The goose had been wounded by an arrow before and was flying alone; the bare twang of the bowstring was enough to make it crash. The story crystallized the idea that past pain makes future fear.

Stroke Order

jīng
gōng
zhī
niǎo