Chinese Idioms -杯弓蛇影

 

杯弓蛇影

杯 cup 

弓 bow

蛇 snake

影 shadow

According to some accounts, this story is said to have occurred in the 東漢 (Eastern Han Dynasty, 25-220 AD).

A man has invited his friend to his house for a drink. He might be good at archery, because there is a bow hanging on the wall.

Food and drinks were placed on the table, and his friend sat with his back to the bow. The afternoon sun shines on the bow, causing the small snake that's painted on the bow to be reflected in the cup. His friend felt disgusted when he saw the little snake in the cup, but he still forced himself to drink it. After returning home, the friend felt sick. He kept vomiting and lay in bed, unable to get up. 

Our protagonist feels strange. He thinks there might be something wrong with the food and drinks, so he checks them all, but finds nothing. He visits his sick friend to find out what is going on. 

His friend said to him: I think I drank the liquor with a worm in it.

When our protagonist goes home confused, he checks them all once more! Suddenly, he notices a bow on the wall and a snake painted on the bow. Then he moves a cup to the seat where his friend was last sitting, and he figures it out.

Our protagonist invites his friend again and lets him sit in the same place. He gives his friend the same cup and asks: "Did you see anything strange this time?"
His friend looks at the cup and says, "Yes! Just like last time."

He laughs and explains to his friend: "It's just a reflection of a bow with a snake painted on it."

We use this idiom to describe being afraid because of an imaginary fear.

Similar Idiom: 風聲鶴唳

風聲 the sound of the wind

鶴唳  the cry of cranes

This idiom comes from 《晉書．卷七九．謝安列傳》. 

During the 淝水之戰 (Battle of Fei River, 383 AD), the defeated army fled in haste, and everyone was terrified.  The fleeing army suspected danger at the slightest noise, even the sound of the wind and the cry of cranes, all of which made them think they were being followed.

The idiom describes a state of extreme nervousness, fear, or suspicion in which even the slightest sound can cause alarm.

How To Use

We use "杯弓蛇影" when we say that fear is caused by illusory things; when the fear we want to talk about is caused by external situations, we use "風聲鶴唳".

The fear is caused by illusory things:

• 有些家長反對兒童看恐怖電影，是因為怕他們會杯弓蛇影，嚇壞了自己。
  Some parents object to their children watching horror movies because they are afraid their children will be frightened by their own illusions.

The fear is caused by external situations:

• 專家推估會有更大的地震發生，一時間，風聲鶴唳，驚慌的災民們變得更加不安。
  Experts are predicting a larger earthquake. Immediately, the people affected by the natural disaster became even more anxious because of the news.