CHENGYU
杯弓蛇影(bēi gōng shé yǐng)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- literary
- Source:
- 《晋书·乐广传》
MEANING
- Literal
- the bow's reflection in the cup mistaken for a snake
- Figurative meaning
- groundless fear born of suspicion; a false alarm
ORIGIN STORY
A guest fell ill after seeing a "snake" in his wine cup — actually the shadow of a bow hanging on the wall. Once he learned the truth, he recovered at once.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“a false alarm; to see things”
EXAMPLES
那件事只是杯弓蛇影，别自己吓自己。Nà jiàn shì zhǐ shì bēi gōng shé yǐng, bié zìjǐ xià zìjǐ.HSK6
That was just a false alarm; do not scare yourself.
他疑神疑鬼，真是杯弓蛇影。Tā yí shén yí guǐ, zhēn shì bēi gōng shé yǐng.HSK6
He is full of groundless suspicion — seeing snakes in every cup.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: Use it for fear without a real basis, not for cautiousness about real risks.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-14
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01