楚弓楚得 — “Chu loses bow, Chu gains it”
楚弓楚得 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “What is lost by one person within a community is eventually found by another from the same community, thus the benefit remains within the group and no outsiders gain from it”. Literally, “Chu loses bow, Chu gains it”.
楚弓楚得 Pronunciation and Pinyin
楚弓楚得 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 楚弓楚得
Origin and Story of 楚弓楚得
During the Spring and Autumn period, King Gong of Chu often went hunting in the mountains and fields with his entourage.
One day, while chasing several wild beasts, he was on the verge of catching them when he discovered his bow was missing. His attendants suggested tracing their steps back to find it.
King Gong said, "There's no need to look for it. A person from Chu lost the bow, and it will still be picked up by a person from Chu. There's no actual loss."
Idioms Related to 楚弓楚得
Antonyms of 楚弓楚得
More idioms starting with 楚
- chǔ楚yún云xiāng湘yǔ雨intimate romantic feelings
- chǔ楚náng囊zhī之qíng情profound love for one's homeland
- chǔ楚qiú囚duì对qì泣Weeping together in despair
- chǔ楚qiú囚xiāng相duì对facing each other in despair
- chǔ楚tiān天yún云yǔ雨romantic or sexual encounter
- chǔ楚wěi尾wú吴tóu头Middle and lower Yangtze River region
- chǔ楚gōng弓fù复dé得recover lost property
- chǔ楚gōng弓yí遗yǐng影unfounded fear from misperception
- chǔ楚dé得chǔ楚gōng弓What's lost by one is found by another
- chǔ楚cái材jìn晋yòng用Chu talent used by Jin
- chǔ楚mèng梦yún云yǔ雨intimate relations between a man and a woman
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Open the tool →Questions about 楚弓楚得
What does 楚弓楚得 mean?
楚弓楚得 (chǔ gōng chǔ dé) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “What is lost by one person within a community is eventually found by another from the same community, thus the benefit remains within the group and no outsiders gain from it”.
How do you pronounce 楚弓楚得?
楚弓楚得 is pronounced chǔ gōng chǔ dé in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 楚弓楚得 literally mean?
Literally, 楚弓楚得 means “Chu loses bow, Chu gains it”. It is used to mean “What is lost by one person within a community is eventually found by another from the same community, thus the benefit remains within the group and no outsiders gain from it”.
Where does 楚弓楚得 come from?
楚弓楚得 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 楚弓楚得?
楚国人丢失弓，拾到的仍是楚国人。比喻自己的东西虽然丢了，拾到它的人并不是外人。