諺語 · a single proverb
一箭雙雕
Simplified: 一箭双雕
What does 一箭雙雕 (yī jiàn shuāng diāo) mean?
一箭雙雕 (yī jiàn shuāng diāo) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "one arrow two eagles." In use it means: Kill two birds with one stone; achieve two goals with a single action. 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: "one arrow two eagles."
The reading
The arrow let fly with perfect judgment catches what was aimed at and also what could not be aimed at but can be won by the same motion. True efficiency is not cutting corners but finding the angle where one act resonates outward into more than one good. The archer who reads the sky well needs fewer arrows.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Bei Shi 北史·長孫晟傳 (Cháng Sūn Shèng biography)
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 Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rooster, Year of the Frog, and Year of the Rat.
Questions
Is 一箭雙雕 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 一箭雙雕 (yī jiàn shuāng diāo) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Bei Shi 北史·長孫晟傳 (Cháng Sūn Shèng biography). 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 一箭雙雕?
In Mandarin it is yī jiàn shuāng diāo. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 一箭雙雕 aloud in Mandarin.