📖 Meaning
To hit the duck and startle the mandarin ducks. It means that by acting against one person, you inadvertently alert or frighten another who is innocent. It is analogous to beating the grass and startling the snake, where an action has unintended consequences on bystanders.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Ming dynasty playwright Mei Dingzuo's work 'Kun Nu' (昆化奴), in the second act. In the play, a character explains that he does not intend to harm the other person's life, but fears that striking the duck might startle the mandarin ducks—analogous to beating the grass and startling the snake. The metaphor conveys the idea that punitive action against one party may inadvertently disturb or implicate innocent bystanders.
💡 Example Usage
你这样大张旗鼓地查办，只怕打鸭惊鸳，反让无辜者受牵连。
If you investigate so publicly and forcefully, you may hit the duck and startle the mandarin ducks, inadvertently implicating the innocent.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 打鸭惊鸳
- Pinyin: dǎ yā jīng yuān
- Literal Translation: hit, duck, startle, mandarin duck
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4