杯弓蛇影

Bēi Gōng Shé Yǐng

把杯子里弓的影子当成蛇。比喻因为疑心而自己吓自己。

Mistaking a bow's reflection in a cup for a snake — frightening yourself over something that was never really there.

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péngyǒujiǔbēiránkànjiànbēihǎoxiàngyǒutiáoxiǎoshézàidòngxīnhàidànháishìjiǔlexiàhuídàojiāhòuyuèxiǎngyuèjuédeledàishédejiǔhěnkuàijiùbìngdǎole

yuè广guǎngtīngshuōhòujuédeguàijiùláidàotīngchùkànyuánláiqiángshàngguàzhezhānggōnggōngdeyǐngzizhènghǎoyìngzàijiǔbēikànláixiàngtiáoshézàidòng

yuè广guǎngzàiqǐngpéngyǒudàojiāzuòzàiyuánláidewèizhìyòudàolebēijiǔpéngyǒukànbēiyòuyǒushé”。yuè广guǎngzhǐzheqiángshàngdegōngxiàozheshuō:“kànzhèjiùshìtiānkàndàodeshé’。”péngyǒudùnshímíngbáiguòláibìnghěnkuàijiùhǎole

bēigōngshéyǐngjiùshìyòngláixíngróngzhǒngshénguǐxiàdeyàngzi

Long ago, a man named Yue Guang invited a friend over for wine. They sat together in the main room, chatting cheerfully and sipping from their cups.

The friend lifted his cup and thought he saw a little snake wriggling inside. He was frightened, but drank the wine anyway. Once home, the more he thought about it, the more afraid he became. Convinced he had swallowed something poisonous, he fell ill.

When Yue Guang heard about this, he was puzzled and went to look around the room. On the wall hung a bow, and its shadow fell perfectly into the wine cup — looking just like a little snake in motion.

Yue Guang invited his friend back and seated him in the same spot, poured another cup, and sure enough the “snake” appeared again. Yue Guang pointed to the bow on the wall and laughed, “There's your snake.” The friend understood at once, and his illness quickly passed.

Today “a bow's shadow in a cup looking like a snake” describes those who scare themselves with worries that have no real cause.