📖 Meaning
An ancient Chinese daoyin (导引) health practice mimicking animal movements. It describes stretching the body like a bear climbing a branch and extending the limbs like a bird, used for nourishing life and promoting longevity.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom refers to an ancient Daoist daoyin (导引) exercise tradition documented in early Chinese texts such as the Zhuangzi. The practice imitates the movements of animals to cultivate health and vitality—stretching like a bear reaching for a branch and extending the legs like a bird. It is a variant of the closely related term 熊经鸟申. Such animal-mimicking exercises are considered precursors to later systems like qigong and tai chi.
💡 Example Usage
他每日清晨练习熊经鸟曳，以舒展筋骨、强身健体。
He practices the bear-stretch bird-extend exercises every morning to limber his body and build his health.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 熊经鸟曳
- Pinyin: xióng jīng niǎo yè
- Literal Translation: bear, stretch, bird, extend
- Category: Method
- Characters: 4