📖 Meaning
Literally 'the target of many arrows.' It refers to a person or thing that has become the focus of public criticism or attack. It is used when someone is widely blamed, opposed, or singled out by many people at once.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase comes from a letter by the modern writer Lu Xun (鲁迅) to Xu Shoushang (许寿裳), in which he described how Lin Yutang (林语堂), for promoting the classical 'yulu' (语录) style of writing, had nearly become the target of everyone's criticism. The metaphor draws on archery: the '的' is the center of a target, and '众矢' means many arrows. Together they evoke an image of a bullseye struck by arrows from all directions, symbolizing someone universally attacked.
💡 Example Usage
他因贪污丑闻成了众矢之的，受到各方谴责。
He became the target of public criticism due to his corruption scandal and was condemned from all sides.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 众矢之的
- Pinyin: zhòng shǐ zhī dì
- Literal Translation: crowd, arrows, of, target
- Category: Status
- Characters: 4