cǎomùjiēbīng

草木皆兵

Word · Idiom

every bush and tree looks like an enemy soldier; to be plagued by fear and suspicion

Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma

Meanings

1 sense · 4 examples
1.

idiom

to be so terrified that one sees enemies everywhere; a state of extreme paranoia

literary

源自淝水之战的典故。用于书面语,常与“风声鹤唳”连用。

Dǎ打
le了
bài败
zhàng仗
zhī之
hòu后
 ,
dí敌
jūn军
yǐ已
chéng成
jīng惊
gōng弓
zhī之
niǎo鸟
 ,
yī一
lù路
shang上
cǎo草
mù木
jiē皆
bīng兵
 。

After the defeat, the enemy troops were like startled birds, seeing enemies in every bush and tree along the way.

Tā他
zuò做
le了
kuī亏
xīn心
shì事
 ,
zhè这
jǐ几
tiān天
xīn心
shén神
bù不
níng宁
 ,
kàn看
shuí谁
dōu都
xiàng像
jǐng警
chá察
 ,
zhēn真
shì是
cǎo草
mù木
jiē皆
bīng兵
 。

He has a guilty conscience and has been restless these days, seeing police in everyone—it's a case of 'every bush and tree looking like an enemy soldier.'

Show 2 more examples
Nà那
ge个
táo逃
fàn犯
yǐ已
chéng成
jīng惊
gōng弓
zhī之
niǎo鸟
 ,
yī一
lù路
shang上
cǎo草
mù木
jiē皆
bīng兵
 ,
rèn任
hé何
yī一
diǎn点
fēng风
chuī吹
cǎo草
dòng动
dōu都
ràng让
tā他
dǎn胆
zhàn战
xīn心
jīng惊
 。

That fugitive was already like a startled bird; he saw enemies all along the way, and even the slightest rustle of leaves terrified him.

Yóu由
yú于
lián连
xù续
zāo遭
yù遇
le了
jǐ几
cì次
cuò挫
zhé折
 ,
tā他
xiàn现
zài在
yǒu有
xiē些
cǎo草
mù木
jiē皆
bīng兵
 ,
duì对
rèn任
hé何
xīn新
xìn信
xī息
dōu都
chōng充
mǎn满
huái怀
yí疑
 。

Having suffered several setbacks in a row, he is now a bit paranoid and suspicious of any new information.