📖 Meaning
Literally 'on seeing a hare, release the hawk.' It means taking prompt, decisive action the moment an opportunity presents itself. The idiom emphasizes timely responsiveness — acting precisely when circumstances call for it, neither too early nor too late.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Song dynasty text 《五灯会元》 (Wudeng Huiyuan), compiled by the Buddhist monk 释普济 (Shi Puji). In the original passage, the Buddha is said to spread his great teaching net to catch the fish of humans and heavenly beings, yet it is likened to the more vivid image of 'seeing a hare and releasing the hawk, encountering a deer and shooting an arrow' — both metaphors for responding to the moment with the right action. The text belongs to the Chan (Zen) Buddhist tradition, which often used such concrete images to illustrate timely, unforced insight. Later writers in the Ming dynasty, such as 天然痴叟 in 《石点头》, adopted the phrase into vernacular literature.
💡 Example Usage
商场如战场,唯有见兔放鹰者方能抓住稍纵即逝的商机。
Business is like a battlefield — only those who release the hawk the instant they spot the hare can seize opportunities that vanish in a flash.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 见兔放鹰
- Pinyin: jiàn tù fàng yīng
- Literal Translation: see, rabbit, release, hawk
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4