jīng gōng zhī niǎodictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
(lit.) a bird startled by the mere twang of a bow (idiom) / (fig.) sb who frightens easily, due to past experiences
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-d0aa8e0eebeea84a. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

驚弓之鳥 惊弓之鸟 [jing1 gong1 zhi1 niao3] /(lit.) a bird startled by the mere twang of a bow (idiom)/(fig.) sb who frightens easily, due to past experiences/

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Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

Other forms in these source records: 驚弓之鳥

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

惊弓之鸟
Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.