📖 Meaning
Literally 'every bush and tree looks like an enemy soldier.' It describes a state of extreme panic in which a frightened person sees danger everywhere and suspects even harmless things. Used to characterize paranoia and groundless fear during times of crisis.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom comes from the 'Biography of Fu Jian' in the Book of Jin (《晋书·苻坚载记》), set during the Battle of Fei River (淝水之战, 383 AD) between Former Qin and Eastern Jin. Fu Jian, emperor of Former Qin, climbed the city wall with his general Fu Rong to observe the Jin army and saw their disciplined ranks. Gazing north at Mount Bagong, the rustling grass and trees appeared to him like enemy troops, and he remarked with alarm that the Jin forces were indeed a formidable foe. His moment of dread foreshadowed the catastrophic defeat that followed, and the phrase became a lasting metaphor for fear-induced paranoia.
💡 Example Usage
敌军败退之后草木皆兵,连风声都让他们吓得魂飞魄散。
After their defeat, the retreating enemy saw enemies in every bush and tree; even the sound of the wind sent them flying into a panic.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 草木皆兵
- Pinyin: cǎo mù jiē bīng
- Literal Translation: grass, trees, all, soldiers
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4