从前魏国有个叫更羸的人，非常精通射箭，一天，他陪魏王站在城墙上面，抬头看见天空中有一只大雁更羸对魏王说：“我可以只拉弓不放箭把这只大雁射下来。”魏王摇头笑笑：“射箭技术可以达到这么高的水平吗？”更赢说：“是的。”不一会，雁从东方飞来，更羸摆好姿式，拉满弓弦，虚射一箭，雁应声而落。魏王简直不相信自己的眼睛，惊叹道：“你射箭的技术为什么达到这种出神入化的地步呢？”更羸於下弓解释说：“这是一只有受伤的雁，”魏王惊奇的问道：“你怎么知道的。”更羸回答说：“这只雁飞得慢，鸣声又凄厉，飞得慢，是因为旧伤疼痛，鸣声又凄厉，是因为长久失群，正因为旧伤未好，惊心未定一听到弓弦声，就想高飞而逃，结果伤口破裂疼痛，便从高处掉了下来。”

      惊弓之鸟英文版——A bird startled by the mere twang of a bow-string

      During the time of the Warring States， there lived a well-known archer named Geng Ying whose art in shooting was excelled by none at his time.

      One day, as he was standing by the side of the King of Wei, a flock of swan geese were flying over. With confidence, Geng Ying said to the king, "The twang of my bow-string might bring down a bird." The King doubted much.

      Just then a solitary swan goose appeared, low and slow in its flight, sad and dolorous in its cry. Instantly Geng Ying bended his bow and forcibly pulled the bowstring.

      Twang! High up went he shrilling sound into the air and down fell the bird to the ground. The king admired with bewilderment. Gang Ying then explained: "The bird was flying low and slow, because it was already hurt; it was crying in a bitter tone, because it had lost its companions. Due to the fact that it was already hurt and sad at heart, the twang of my strong bow, that birds dreaded most, startled it.

      The shrilling sound made its heart beat fast, its wings weak, its balance uneven.

      Thus it fell down just as commonly as a man drops his chop-sticks, at the thunder-stroke, at a dinner table." Henceforth comes the idiom "A bird startled by the mere twang of a bow-string", illustrating a case where a man who had been previously and repeatedly frightened became numb and stupefied by a new thing of the same nature not knowing how to face the new situation.