CHENGYU
一箭双雕(yī jiàn shuāng diāo)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- neutral
- Source:
- 《北史·长孙晟传》
MEANING
- Literal
- one arrow, two eagles
- Figurative meaning
- to achieve two goals with a single action
ORIGIN STORY
The Northern Zhou general Zhangsun Sheng shot a single arrow that brought down two eagles fighting over a piece of meat.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to kill two birds with one stone”
EXAMPLES
这个方法一箭双雕，省钱又省时间。Zhège fāngfǎ yī jiàn shuāng diāo, shěng qián yòu shěng shíjiān.HSK6
This method kills two birds with one stone — saving both money and time.
走路去上班，既锻炼身体又环保，真是一箭双雕。Zǒulù qù shàngbān, jì duànliàn shēntǐ yòu huánbǎo, zhēn shì yī jiàn shuāng diāo.HSK6
Walking to work both exercises the body and protects the environment — two birds with one stone.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: Both goals are gained at once; if one goal merely follows the other, the phrase does not fit.
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-14
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01