A Bird Startled by the Mere Twang of a Bowstring
Years ago, Gong Lei and the King Wei standing on a high terrace saw some birds flying past. This Gong Lei boasted that he could down a bird by drawing his bow but not shooting.
“You mean to say that shooting skill can reach such a high level?” the king wondered.
“Indeed I do.”
A while later a flock of wild geese came from the east. Gong Lei went into action and succeeded in downing a bird by merely producing a twang with his bowstring.
“Really, archery can go that far?” cried the King.
“Well, that bird has an unhealed wound.”
“How do you know, sir?”
“Because it was flying slowly and uttering a plaintive cry, “Gong Lei responded. “Generally, an old wound affects the speed of flying and lagging behind the crowd for long leads to a desperate calling. So, an unhealed wound means an un-recovered fright. At the twang of my bowstring the bird strove to soar but fell because the wound burst open.”
From : Zhang no Ce ( warring states records)
Fini
