Hanzi Now
CharactersIdiomsChinese NameFlashcards
Tools

Visual content

  • Chinese Text Image GeneratorCreate PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes
  • Stroke Order AnimatorTurn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
  • Character Highlight AnimatorChoose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order
  • Chinese Text Morph AnimatorTurn one Chinese character, word or phrase into another; download SVG, MP4 or WebM

Audio content

  • Chinese Text to SpeechRead Chinese aloud with karaoke highlighting

Teaching materials

  • Writing WorksheetsPrintable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion
  • Bingo CardsPicture and word Bingo for your class
  • Picture WorksheetsChinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets

Other

  • Pinyin GeneratorConvert Chinese text to pinyin with tone marks
  • Chinese Zodiac CalculatorFind your animal sign from your birth date and make a zodiac card.
  • Chinese Word CounterCount characters, words and sentences in Chinese text
View all tools →
杯弓市虎
杯弓市虎
杯弓市虎
杯弓市虎
杯弓市虎
杯弓市虎
杯弓市虎
杯弓市虎
杯弓市虎
杯弓市虎

杯弓市虎 — “To be overly suspicious and create imaginary fears”

杯弓市虎 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be overly suspicious and create imaginary fears”. To be self-alarmed by groundless suspicions, often a combination of being paranoid (like 'cup and bow shadow') and believing false rumors (like 'three men make a tiger'). Literally, “Bow in cup, tiger in market”.

Frequency

杯弓市虎 Pronunciation and Pinyin

杯弓市虎 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
杯
bēi8cup or trophy
弓
gōng3bow
市
shì5market city
虎
hǔ8Tiger; brave; intimidate

Example Sentence with 杯弓市虎

面对一点小挫折,他竟然杯弓市虎,担心各种不好的事情会发生。
Faced with a minor setback, he became overly suspicious and started worrying about all sorts of bad things happening.

Idioms Related to 杯弓市虎

Synonyms of 杯弓市虎

  • bǔ捕fēng风zhuō捉yǐng影make groundless accusations

More idioms starting with 杯

  • bēi杯zhōng中zhī之wù物alcoholic beverages
  • bēi杯zhōng中wù物alcoholic drink
  • bēi杯zhōng中shé蛇yǐng影frightened by imaginary dangers
  • bēi杯quān圈zhī之sī思Longing for one's deceased mother
  • bēi杯gōng弓shé蛇yǐng影imaginary fears cause self-fright
  • bēi杯yǐng影shé蛇gōng弓scared by imaginary fears
  • bēi杯cán残zhì炙lěng冷leftovers from a meal
  • bēi杯shuǐ水zhī之jìng敬a humble token of respect
  • bēi杯shuǐ水zhī之xiè谢a meager token of gratitude
  • bēi杯shuǐ水lì粒sù粟meager amount of food and drink
  • bēi杯shuǐ水yú舆xīn薪an utterly inadequate measure
  • bēi杯shuǐ水chē车xīn薪an utterly inadequate measure

Recommended tools

Character Highlight Animator

Choose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order

Open the tool →

Chinese Text Image Generator

Create PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes

Open the tool →

Writing Worksheets

Printable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion

Open the tool →

Picture Worksheets

Chinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets

Open the tool →

Questions about 杯弓市虎

What does 杯弓市虎 mean?

杯弓市虎 (bēi gōng shì hǔ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be overly suspicious and create imaginary fears”.

How do you pronounce 杯弓市虎?

杯弓市虎 is pronounced bēi gōng shì hǔ in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 杯弓市虎 literally mean?

Literally, 杯弓市虎 means “Bow in cup, tiger in market”. It is used to mean “to be overly suspicious and create imaginary fears”.

What is the Chinese definition of 杯弓市虎?

指捕风捉影,疑虑重重,自相惊扰。参见“杯弓蛇影”、“三人成虎”。

Hanzi Now

Explore the charm of Chinese language

Explore

  • Characters
  • Idioms
  • Chinese Names
  • Flashcards

Tools

  • Chinese Text Image Generator
  • Stroke Order Animator
  • Character Highlight Animator
  • Bingo Cards
  • Picture Worksheets
  • All Tools

More

  • Blog
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
© 2026 Hanzi NowContact Us