諺語 · a single proverb

草cǎo木mù皆jiē兵bīng

cǎo mù jiē bīng

What does 草木皆兵 (cǎo mù jiē bīng) mean?

草木皆兵 (cǎo mù jiē bīng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "grass and trees all soldiers." In use it means: See enemies in everything; a state of extreme fear where harmless things appear threatening. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Wood note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Tiger.

Literally: "grass and trees all soldiers."

The reading

The defeated army sees enemy soldiers in every rustling leaf, every wind-bent stem. This is not cowardice but what fear does to the perceptual apparatus: it promotes everything to the level of threat. To know when one's alarm system has exceeded its brief is the beginning of recovery from terror.

What kind of proverb it is

Source Jin Shu 晉書·謝安傳 (Xiè Ān biography, Battle of Feishui)

Sits beside

世態炎涼

shì tài yán liáng

The ways of the world are warm when you prosper and cold when you fall.

人有志氣不怕窮

rén yǒu zhì qì bù pà qióng

A person with determination is not afraid of poverty.

冬天來了，春天還會遠嗎

dōng tiān lái le chūn tiān hái huì yuǎn ma

After hardship, good times are coming.

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 Tiger, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.

Questions

Is 草木皆兵 a real Chinese proverb?

Yes. 草木皆兵 (cǎo mù jiē bīng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Jin Shu 晉書·謝安傳 (Xiè Ān biography, Battle of Feishui). 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 草木皆兵?

In Mandarin it is cǎo mù jiē bīng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 草木皆兵 aloud in Mandarin.