惊弓之鸟 in English jing1 gong1 zhi1 niao3 Meaning

Meanings

  • literally (word for word) a bird startled by the mere twang of a bow (idiomatic expression)
  • metaphorically somebody who frightens easily, due to past experiences

Simplified Characters

惊 弓 之 鸟

Traditional Characters

驚 弓 之 鳥

Pinyin

jing1 gong1 zhi1 niao3

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

惊jing1to startle 弓gong1surname Gong 之zhi1(possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de5]) 鸟niao3variant of 屌[diao3]