yījiànshuāngdiāo: 一箭双雕 - Kill two birds with one stone

• Keywords: yijianshuangdiao, 一箭双雕, Chinese idiom for efficiency, kill two birds with one stone in Chinese, achieve two goals with one action, Chinese chengyu, double result with one effort, Chinese proverbs
• Summary: 一箭双雕 (yī jiàn shuāng diāo) is a classic Chinese idiom (chengyu) that literally translates to “one arrow, a pair of eagles.” It is the direct equivalent of the English phrase “to kill two birds with one stone,” meaning to achieve two separate objectives with a single action or effort. This popular saying is used to praise a clever, efficient, and resourceful strategy in business, planning, or daily life.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): yī jiàn shuāng diāo
• Part of Speech: Chengyu (成语) / Idiom
• HSK Level: N/A (Considered an advanced-level idiom)
• Concise Definition: To accomplish two objectives with a single action.
• In a Nutshell: Imagine a master archer who, with incredible skill, uses a single arrow to shoot down two eagles that are fighting in the sky. This powerful image is the core of 一箭双雕. It’s all about efficiency, cleverness, and getting a double reward from a single, well-placed effort. It's used to describe a smart plan that yields multiple benefits.

• 一 (yī): The number one; a single.
• 箭 (jiàn): An arrow. This character is composed of 竹 (zhú - bamboo) on top, representing the arrow shaft, and a phonetic component below.
• 双 (shuāng): A pair, two, double. The character shows two birds (隹) being held by a hand (又).
• 雕 (diāo): An eagle or a large bird of prey.

The characters combine literally to mean “one arrow, a pair of eagles,” creating a vivid and memorable image that directly illustrates the idiom's figurative meaning of achieving two significant things at once.

• The story behind this idiom comes from the History of the Northern Dynasties (《北史》). It tells of a highly skilled archer named Zhangsun Sheng (长孙晟) from the Northern Zhou Dynasty. To demonstrate his prowess to a Turkic Khan, he was asked to shoot. Seeing two eagles fighting over a piece of meat in the sky, he fired a single arrow, and it pierced both birds, causing them to fall to the ground. This incredible feat of archery gave birth to the idiom.
• Comparison to Western Culture: The English equivalent, “to kill two birds with one stone,” is a near-perfect match in meaning and usage. However, the cultural nuance lies in the imagery. The Chinese version uses 雕 (diāo - eagles), which are powerful, majestic birds of prey. The English version uses generic “birds.” This subtle difference can give 一箭双雕 a slightly grander or more impressive feel, suggesting the accomplishment of two *significant* tasks, much like felling two mighty eagles is more impressive than hitting two sparrows. It highlights not just efficiency, but also the skill and power behind the action.

• This idiom is widely used in both formal and informal contexts. It's common in business presentations, news articles, and everyday conversations among educated speakers.
• In Business: A manager might describe a marketing campaign that both increases sales and improves brand recognition as “一箭双雕”.
• In Daily Life: Someone might say they chose a gym close to their office so they can exercise during their lunch break, achieving fitness and saving time—a classic “一箭双雕” situation.
• The connotation is overwhelmingly positive, used to praise cleverness, foresight, and efficiency. It describes a well-thought-out plan or a fortunate alignment of goals.

• Example 1:
  • 这次去上海出差，我顺便看望了老朋友，真可谓一箭双雕。
  • Pinyin: Zhè cì qù Shànghǎi chūchāi, wǒ shùnbiàn kànwàng le lǎo péngyǒu, zhēn kěwèi yījiànshuāngdiāo.
  • English: On this business trip to Shanghai, I also visited an old friend. You could truly call it killing two birds with one stone.
  • Analysis: A very common, everyday use of the idiom to describe combining a work trip with a personal visit.
• Example 2:
  • 公司的新广告既提升了品牌形象，又增加了产品销量，达到了一箭双雕的效果。
  • Pinyin: Gōngsī de xīn guǎnggào jì tíshēng le pǐnpái xíngxiàng, yòu zēngjiā le chǎnpǐn xiāoliàng, dádào le yījiànshuāngdiāo de xiàoguǒ.
  • English: The company's new advertisement both improved the brand image and increased product sales, achieving the effect of killing two birds with one stone.
  • Analysis: This is a classic business context, highlighting a strategy that yields two distinct benefits.
• Example 3:
  • 我选择骑自行车上班，既能锻炼身体又能节省交通费，简直是一箭双雕。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ xuǎnzé qí zìxíngchē shàngbān, jì néng duànliàn shēntǐ yòu néng jiéshěng jiāotōng fèi, jiǎnzhí shì yījiànshuāngdiāo.
  • English: I choose to bike to work; it lets me exercise and save on transportation costs. It's simply killing two birds with one stone.
  • Analysis: This example uses the common structure “既…又…” (jì…yòu…; both…and…) to clearly state the two benefits.
• Example 4:
  • 政府投资绿色能源项目，旨在一箭双雕：保护环境和创造就业机会。
  • Pinyin: Zhèngfǔ tóuzī lǜsè néngyuán xiàngmù, zhǐ zài yījiànshuāngdiāo: bǎohù huánjìng hé chuàngzào jiùyè jīhuì.
  • English: The government is investing in green energy projects, aiming to kill two birds with one stone: protecting the environment and creating job opportunities.
  • Analysis: This shows the idiom used in a formal, political context to describe policy goals.
• Example 5:
  • 看中文电影学中文，可以同时练习听力和了解文化，真是一箭双雕的好方法。
  • Pinyin: Kàn Zhōngwén diànyǐng xué Zhōngwén, kěyǐ tóngshí liànxí tīnglì hé liǎojiě wénhuà, zhēn shì yījiànshuāngdiāo de hǎo fāngfǎ.
  • English: Learning Chinese by watching Chinese movies allows you to practice listening and understand the culture at the same time; it's truly a great way to kill two birds with one stone.
  • Analysis: A perfect example relevant to language learners.
• Example 6:
  • 你有没有什么一箭双雕的计划，让我们能又快又好地完成这个任务？
  • Pinyin: Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu shénme yījiànshuāngdiāo de jìhuà, ràng wǒmen néng yòu kuài yòu hǎo de wánchéng zhège rènwù?
  • English: Do you have a “kill two birds with one stone” plan that would let us finish this task both quickly and well?
  • Analysis: Here, the idiom is used as an adjective to describe a type of plan.
• Example 7:
  • 这款手机应用不仅能管理你的日程，还能帮你养成好习惯，开发者的设计真是一箭双雕。
  • Pinyin: Zhè kuǎn shǒujī yìngyòng bùjǐn néng guǎnlǐ nǐ de rìchéng, hái néng bāng nǐ yǎngchéng hǎo xíguàn, kāifāzhě de shèjì zhēn shì yījiànshuāngdiāo.
  • English: This mobile app not only manages your schedule but also helps you build good habits. The developer's design really kills two birds with one stone.
  • Analysis: A modern example applied to technology and product design.
• Example 8:
  • 他买下那块地是为了一箭双雕，一方面可以建工厂，另一方面等着土地升值。
  • Pinyin: Tā mǎi xià nà kuài dì shì wèile yījiànshuāngdiāo, yī fāngmiàn kěyǐ jiàn gōngchǎng, lìng yī fāngmiàn děngzhe tǔdì shēngzhí.
  • English: He bought that piece of land to kill two birds with one stone: on one hand, he could build a factory, and on the other, he could wait for the land's value to appreciate.
  • Analysis: This shows the idiom describing a long-term financial or investment strategy.
• Example 9:
  • 他假装和老板道歉，实则想借机打听内部消息，好一个一箭双雕的计策。
  • Pinyin: Tā jiǎzhuāng hé lǎobǎn dàoqiàn, shízé xiǎng jiè jī dǎtīng nèibù xiāoxī, hǎo yīgè yījiànshuāngdiāo de jìcè.
  • English: He pretended to apologize to the boss, but he actually wanted to use the opportunity to get inside information—what a “kill two birds with one stone” scheme.
  • Analysis: While usually positive, this example shows the idiom can be used with a cynical or slightly negative tone to describe a cunning or manipulative scheme.
• Example 10:
  • 利用暑假去国外做志愿者，既能帮助别人，又能开阔自己的眼界，对许多学生来说，这是一个一箭双雕的选择。
  • Pinyin: Lìyòng shǔjià qù guówài zuò zhìyuànzhě, jì néng bāngzhù biérén, yòu néng kāikuò zìjǐ de yǎnjiè, duì xǔduō xuéshēng lái shuō, zhè shì yīgè yījiànshuāngdiāo de xuǎnzé.
  • English: Using the summer vacation to volunteer abroad can both help others and broaden one's own horizons. For many students, this is a “kill two birds with one stone” choice.
  • Analysis: A longer, more descriptive sentence that perfectly encapsulates the dual benefits of a single course of action.

• Single Action is Key: The most common mistake is to use 一箭双雕 for two good things that happen coincidentally, rather than as the result of a *single, deliberate action*.
  • Incorrect: 今天我中了彩票，还收到了朋友的礼物，真是一箭双雕！(Jīntiān wǒ zhòngle cǎipiào, hái shōudào le péngyǒu de lǐwù, zhēn shì yījiànshuāngdiāo!) → Today I won the lottery and also received a gift from a friend, it's really killing two birds with one stone!
  • Why it's wrong: These are two separate, unrelated events. There was no single action that caused both outcomes.
  • Correct: 我去图书馆还书，顺路在旁边的超市买了菜，一箭双雕，省了不少时间。(Wǒ qù túshūguǎn huán shū, shùnlù zài pángbiān de chāoshì mǎile cài, yījiànshuāngdiāo, shěngle bù shǎo shíjiān.) → I went to the library to return a book and, on the way, bought groceries at the adjacent supermarket. Killing two birds with one stone, I saved a lot of time. (The single action was the trip itself).
• False Friends: While “kill two birds with one stone” is an excellent English equivalent, simply translating the English phrase into Chinese as `一石二鸟 (yī shí èr niǎo)` is not ideal. While this phrase exists and is understood in Chinese, it is far less common, less classic, and sounds like a direct translation from English. Using the authentic idiom 一箭双雕 demonstrates a deeper cultural and linguistic fluency.

• 一举两得 (yī jǔ liǎng dé) - Literally “one action, two gains.” A direct synonym for 一箭双雕 and is equally common in modern usage. It is slightly more literal and less poetic.
• 事半功倍 (shì bàn gōng bèi) - Achieve twice the result with half the effort. This is about high efficiency, but it focuses on the ratio of effort to a single outcome, not necessarily achieving two different outcomes.
• 两全其美 (liǎng quán qí měi) - To satisfy both parties or to have it both ways. This idiom focuses on finding a perfect solution that resolves a conflict between two desirable but seemingly mutually exclusive goals, pleasing everyone involved.
• 一石二鸟 (yī shí èr niǎo) - “One stone, two birds.” The direct translation of the English idiom. It is understood but is much less common and authentic than 一箭双雕 or 一举两得.
• 多此一举 (duō cǐ yī jǔ) - To do something superfluous; to take an unnecessary action. This is an antonym, describing an inefficient action that adds no value.
• 得不偿失 (dé bù cháng shī) - The gain does not make up for the loss. An antonym describing an action where the negative consequences outweigh the positive results.
• 成语 (chéngyǔ) - The general term for a four-character Chinese idiom, often with a classical origin story, like 一箭双雕.