蜚鸟尽，良弓藏 — “When the flying birds are gone, the good bows are put away”
蜚鸟尽，良弓藏 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to discard or abandon someone after their usefulness has ended, especially after they have helped achieve a difficult goal; to kick someone out once they have served their purpose”. Literally, “When the flying birds are gone, the good bows are put away”.
蜚鸟尽，良弓藏 Pronunciation and Pinyin
蜚鸟尽，良弓藏 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 蜚鸟尽，良弓藏
Origin and Story of 蜚鸟尽，良弓藏
Towards the end of the Spring and Autumn period, Fan Li and Wen Zhong became officials in the State of Yue. They assisted King Goujian, who had been defeated by King Fuchai of Wu.
Through their diligent efforts, the State of Yue grew strong and eventually conquered the State of Wu.
Fan Li, understanding Goujian's character, decided to leave and live in the State of Qi, where he changed his name and became a merchant. He wrote a letter to Wen Zhong, advising him to leave, stating: "When the flying birds are gone, the good bows are put away; when the cunning hares are dead, the hounds are cooked."
Wen Zhong did not heed the warning and was subsequently killed.
Idioms Related to 蜚鸟尽，良弓藏
Synonyms of 蜚鸟尽，良弓藏
Recommended tools
Picture Worksheets
Chinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets
Open the tool →
Writing Worksheets
Printable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion
Open the tool →
Stroke Order Animator
Turn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
Open the tool →
Character Highlight Animator
Choose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order
Open the tool →Questions about 蜚鸟尽，良弓藏
What does 蜚鸟尽，良弓藏 mean?
蜚鸟尽，良弓藏 (fēi niǎo jǐn ， liáng gōng cáng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to discard or abandon someone after their usefulness has ended, especially after they have helped achieve a difficult goal; to kick someone out once they have served their purpose”.
How do you pronounce 蜚鸟尽，良弓藏?
蜚鸟尽，良弓藏 is pronounced fēi niǎo jǐn ， liáng gōng cáng in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 蜚鸟尽，良弓藏 literally mean?
Literally, 蜚鸟尽，良弓藏 means “When the flying birds are gone, the good bows are put away”. It is used to mean “to discard or abandon someone after their usefulness has ended, especially after they have helped achieve a difficult goal; to kick someone out once they have served their purpose”.
Where does 蜚鸟尽，良弓藏 come from?
蜚鸟尽，良弓藏 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 蜚鸟尽，良弓藏?
藏：收藏。飞鸟射尽，弹弓也就藏起来不用了。比喻事成之后，把曾经出过力的人一脚踢开或加以消灭