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bēi 杯 gōng 弓 shé 蛇 yǐng 影

杯弓蛇影 bēi gōng shé yǐng

to mistake the reflection of a bow for a snake; to be plagued by groundless fears

Literally: cup bow snake shadow

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Origin

From the Jinshu (Yue Guang Zhuan): a guest fell ill believing he had swallowed a snake seen in his wine cup; it was the reflection of a bow hanging on the wall, and he recovered on learning the truth.

How to use it

Predicate or attributive; negative, describing paranoia. Often 不要杯弓蛇影.

Example sentences

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  1. 自从被骗过一次，他就杯弓蛇影，连正规公司的电话也不敢接。
    Zìcóng bèi piàn guo yí cì, tā jiù bēi gōng shé yǐng, lián zhèngguī gōngsī de diànhuà yě bù gǎn jiē.
    Since being cheated once, he has been jumping at shadows and dares not even answer calls from legitimate companies.
    since (passive marker) cheat (experiential particle) one time, he then cup bow snake shadow, even legitimate company (attributive particle) phone also not dare answer
  2. 市场稍有波动，一些投资者就杯弓蛇影，急忙抛售股票。
    Shìchǎng shāo yǒu bōdòng, yìxiē tóuzīzhě jiù bēi gōng shé yǐng, jímáng pāoshòu gǔpiào.
    At the slightest market fluctuation, some investors panic over imagined dangers and rush to dump their shares.
    market slightly have fluctuation, some investor then cup bow snake shadow, hurriedly sell-off stock

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