IdiomAnimals
Chinese
Chinese一箭双雕 (Yī jiàn shuāng diāo)
Meaning: To achieve two things with a single act.
Literally: One arrow, two hawks
Example: “骑车上班既锻炼又省钱，一箭双雕。” — Cycling to work gives exercise and saves money: two birds with one stone.
English equivalent: To kill two birds with one stone
Equivalents in other languages
Korean: 꿩 먹고 알 먹고 (Kkwong meokgo al meokgo) Literally: Eating the pheasant and its egg too
French: Faire d'une pierre deux coups Literally: To make two blows with one stone
Italian: Prendere due piccioni con una fava Literally: To catch two pigeons with one fava bean
Indonesian: Sambil menyelam minum air Literally: While diving, drink water
English: kill two birds with one stone
Spanish: Matar dos pájaros de un tiro Literally: To kill two birds with one shot
Japanese: 一石二鳥 (Isseki nichō) Literally: One stone, two birds
German: Zwei Fliegen mit einer Klappe schlagen Literally: To swat two flies with one swatter
Dutch: Twee vliegen in één klap slaan Literally: To swat two flies in one blow
Polish: Upiec dwie pieczenie na jednym ogniu Literally: To roast two roasts on one fire
Portuguese: Matar dois coelhos com uma cajadada só Literally: To kill two rabbits with one blow of the stick
Turkish: Bir taşla iki kuş vurmak Literally: To hit two birds with one stone
Origin: From the Bei Shi (History of the Northern Dynasties, 7th century): the Northern Zhou general Zhangsun Sheng, sent to the Turks, saw two eagles fighting over a piece of meat and brought both down with a single arrow. One arrow, two eagles is achieving two aims with one action.
More Chinese idioms
- 班门弄斧 (bān mén nòng fǔ) To display feeble skill before a true master.
- 名落孙山 (míng luò Sūn Shān) To fail an examination.
- 雪上加霜 (Xuě shàng jiā shuāng) To make a bad situation even worse.
- 五十步笑百步 (Wǔshí bù xiào bǎi bù) Mocking someone for a fault you share, only to a lesser degree.
- 得不偿失 (Dé bù cháng shī) What you gain is less than what it costs you.
- 对牛弹琴 (duì niú tán qín) Reasoning with someone who cannot understand.
Explore another collection: Proverbs
Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.
- 朽木不可雕 (Xiǔ mù bù kě diāo) Some people or materials are beyond improving.
- 千里姻缘一线牵 (Qiān lǐ yīnyuán yí xiàn qiān) Couples who are meant to be together find each other, however far apart.
- 入乡随俗 (Rù xiāng suí sú) When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
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