To hurt someone by shooting arrows in secret.Describe the use of words, actions, words and other means to hurt others behind their backs.
Idiom Pronunciation:
暗箭伤人
àn jiàn shāng rén
Origin book:
《迩言》：“暗箭中人，其深次骨，人之怨之，亦必次骨，以其掩人所不备也。”
Origin Story:
During the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Zheng of the state of Zheng had two favorites under him, one was the old general Ying Kao Shu, who was famous for his benevolence and filial piety, and the other was the handsome and suave young general Gongsun Zidu. Mencius once praised this beautiful young man, saying, “He who does not know that Gongsun Zidu is good-looking is a man who has not grown eyes.” Gongsun Zidu was usually arrogant and proud, but he was also a strong martial artist and had excellent archery skills, hitting a hundred times. He was always very unconvinced of Yingkao Shu and always wanted to show that he was more talented than Yingkao Shu.
One year, with the support of Lu and Qi, Duke Zheng Zhuang planned to invade the state of Xu. In May of that summer, Duke Zheng Zhuang reviewed his troops in front of the royal palace and sent out chariots. However, Yingkao Shu and Gongsun Zidu quarreled over the chariot. He was a brave general, so he defied his old age and pulled up the chariot and ran away; Gongsun Zidu, who had always despised Yingkao Shu, refused to give way and dashed after him with his halberd drawn. When he caught up to the road, Ying Shukao had already disappeared. Gongsun Zidu had a grudge against him for this.
In the autumn, Duke Zhuang of Zheng officially ordered an attack on the state of Xu. When Zheng’s army approached the capital city of Xu, Ying Shukao took the lead and climbed to the top of the city, commanding his soldiers to climb the wall. He felt that he could not let Ying Shukau take such a great credit, so he drew an arrow and aimed it at Ying Shukau’s back. Ying Kao Shu was so focused on attacking the city that he did not expect a hidden arrow to come from behind.
The other general, Xiu Shu Ying, thought that Ying Kao Shu had been killed by Xu’s soldiers, so he picked up the banner and commanded his soldiers to continue the battle. All of Zheng’s troops entered the city, while the king of Xu, Duke Xu Zhuang, fled to Wei, and the land of Xu was then incorporated into Zheng’s territory. In the future, people called the situation like Gongsun Zidu’s cold arrow when he was unprepared, “a secret arrow hurts someone”. Later on, anyone who took any dishonest means to find an opportunity to hurt others secretly could be called “Shooting someone in secret”.
Similar Idioms:
- 笑里藏刀
