📖 Meaning
A bow made of peach wood and arrows made of thorn branches, which the ancients believed could ward off evil spirits. It refers to ancient ritual objects used to dispel misfortune and drive away malevolent forces. The term symbolizes the use of talismanic weapons for protection against disaster.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Zuo Zhuan (左传·昭公四年), a foundational historical text of the Spring and Autumn period chronicling the state of Lu. In the fourth year of Duke Zhao's reign, it records the ancient practice of using a peach-wood bow and thorn-arrow shafts to avert calamity during rites of exorcism. Peach wood and thorn branches were both regarded in early Chinese folk belief as possessing apotropaic power against demons and misfortune. The passage '桃弧棘矢，以除其灾' documents this ritual custom of dispelling disaster through symbolic weaponry.
💡 Example Usage
古人常以桃弧棘矢辟邪驱灾。
In ancient times people often used peach-wood bows and thorn-arrow shafts to ward off evil and avert disaster.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 桃弧棘矢
- Pinyin: táo hú jí shǐ
- Literal Translation: peach, bow, thorn, arrow
- Category: Method
- Characters: 4