英语故事之草木皆兵

        be afraid of one's own shadow
　　
　　草木皆兵
　　
　　In AD 383, the king of Former Qin (秦朝), Fu Jian (fú jiān 苻坚), led a huge army to attack Eastern Jin.
 
　　公元383年，秦王苻坚率步兵、骑兵90万，攻打江南的晋朝。
　　
　　After losing the first round of fighting, Fu Jian looked down from a city wall, and was terrified when he saw the formidable battle array of the Eastern Jin army.
　　
　　在一轮战败后，苻坚从城墙俯视周遭，当他看到势不可破的东晋部队，他感到很害怕。
　　
　　And then looking at the mountains around, he mistook the grass and trees for enemy soldiers.
　　
　　此时，苻坚在寿春城上望见晋军队伍严整，士气高昂，再北望八公山，只见山上一草一木都像晋军的士兵一样，于是加恐慌。
　　
　　As a result, when the nervous Fu Jian led his army into battle, it suffered a crushing defeat.
　　
　　后来苻坚全军覆没，带着少数残余的队伍逃回去了。
　　
　　This idiom describes how one can defeat oneself by imaging difficulties.
　　
　　这个成语后来形容人在极度惊恐时，疑神疑鬼的心理状态。