Chinese idiom – 杯弓蛇影 bēi gōng shé yǐng

The story of “Cup and Bow Shadow” originated from ancient China and is a typical fable. This story first appeared in the “Fengsu Tongyi · Guaishen” written by the Eastern Han Dynasty scholar Ying Shao, and there is a similar record in the “Jin Shu · Le Guang Biography” later.

The Story

The protagonist of the story is Le Guang, a man from the Jin Dynasty. One day, Le Guang invited his friend to drink in the hall of his house. When the friend raised his cup to drink, the shadow of a crossbow on the wall was reflected in the cup, looking like a small snake swimming. The friend felt nauseous and uncomfortable after drinking the wine and fell ill when he got home.

After a long time, Le Guang heard that his friend’s illness had not improved. So, Le Guang went to visit him personally and repeated the situation when they were drinking. His friend suddenly realized the truth and his illness gradually improved.

Final Thoughts

Later, this story evolved into the idiom “Cup and Bow Shadow”, which is used to describe someone who is suspicious and alarms himself, or someone who is overly nervous and mistakes illusions for reality. It tells people that when facing unknown or uncertain situations, they should remain calm and rational, and not be overly worried or panicked, so as not to affect their normal life and judgment due to doubts and fears.