諺語 · a single proverb
杯弓蛇影
What does 杯弓蛇影 (bēi gōng shé yǐng) mean?
杯弓蛇影 (bēi gōng shé yǐng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "mistaking the bow's reflection in the cup for a snake." In use it means: Fear based on a misperception. The thing you are terrified of may be a shadow, not a snake. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Water note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Snake.
Literally: "mistaking the bow's reflection in the cup for a snake."
The reading
A guest saw a snake in his wine cup and fell sick with fear. His host eventually showed him the bow hanging on the wall behind him, its reflection landing in the cup. The snake was never there. The fear was completely real. And that is the problem: fear does not need a real object. It only needs a convincing image.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Book of Jin 晉書 (樂廣傳)
Sits beside
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Adversity & Resilience, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Snake, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 杯弓蛇影 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 杯弓蛇影 (bēi gōng shé yǐng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Book of Jin 晉書 (樂廣傳). It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 杯弓蛇影?
In Mandarin it is bēi gōng shé yǐng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 杯弓蛇影 aloud in Mandarin.