杯弓蛇影
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.
古时候,有一位叫乐广的人,请朋友到家里喝酒。两人坐在客厅里,高高兴兴地聊天喝酒。
朋友举起酒杯,忽然看见杯里好像有一条小蛇在动。他心里害怕,但还是把酒喝了下去。回到家以后,他越想越怕,觉得自己喝了带蛇的酒,很快就病倒了。
乐广听说后,觉得奇怪,就来到客厅四处看。原来,墙上挂着一张弓,弓的影子正好映在酒杯里,看起来像一条蛇在动。
乐广再次请朋友到家里,把他坐在原来的位置,又倒了一杯酒。朋友一看,杯里又有“蛇”。乐广指着墙上的弓笑着说:“你看,这就是你那天看到的‘蛇’。”朋友顿时明白过来,病也很快就好了。
“杯弓蛇影”就是用来形容那种疑神疑鬼、自己吓自己的样子。
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.
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