諺語 · a single proverb
鳥盡弓藏
Simplified: 鸟尽弓藏
What does 鳥盡弓藏 (niǎo jìn gōng cáng) mean?
鳥盡弓藏 (niǎo jìn gōng cáng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "when the birds are gone, the bow is put away." In use it means: When the job is done, the tool is discarded. When the enemy is defeated, the general is no longer needed. Usefulness has an expiration date in the eyes of those who only see instruments. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Metal note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rooster.
Literally: "when the birds are gone, the bow is put away."
The reading
The bow does not know it is being stored, not honored. But you are not a bow. You can see the shelf coming. The lesson is not bitterness. It is awareness. Build something that matters to you beyond the role you play for others, because others will define the end of the mission differently than you will.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Records of the Grand Historian 史記, Yue Wang Goujian 越王句踐世家
Sits beside
冬至陽生春又來
dōng zhì yáng shēng chūn yòu lái
At the darkest moment of winter, yang energy is reborn and spring begins its return.
夜長夢多
yè cháng mèng duō
Delay leads to complications.
太公釣魚，願者上鉤
tài gōng diào yú yuàn zhě shàng gōu
The best way to attract people is not through trickery but through genuine worth.
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 Timing & Fortune's Turning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rooster, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 鳥盡弓藏 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 鳥盡弓藏 (niǎo jìn gōng cáng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Records of the Grand Historian 史記, Yue Wang Goujian 越王句踐世家. 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 鳥盡弓藏?
In Mandarin it is niǎo jìn gōng cáng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 鳥盡弓藏 aloud in Mandarin.