草木皆兵 see soldiers in every bush
Explanation
比喻人非常惊慌，疑神疑鬼，把周围的一切都看成是敌人。
This idiom describes someone who is very scared and suspicious, seeing enemies everywhere.
Origin Story
东晋时期，前秦国王苻坚企图消灭东晋，东晋宰相谢安派谢石为征讨大都督，分兵三路夹击秦军。苻坚登上寿阳城，看见晋君阵容整齐有些畏惧。晋军用计围攻苻坚的秦军，秦军大败，在溃逃的过程中看到后边山上草木的阴影，都以为是追兵，于是就草木皆兵，自相践踏，更加混乱不堪。最终，苻坚的秦军全线溃败，东晋大获全胜。
During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Fu Jian, the king of Former Qin, attempted to destroy the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Xie An, the prime minister of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, appointed Xie Shi as the supreme commander of the punitive expedition and divided the army into three armies to attack the Qin army. Fu Jian ascended Shouyang City and saw that the formations of the Jin army were orderly, which made him a little afraid. The Jin army used a strategy to surround Fu Jian's Qin army, which then suffered a crushing defeat. During the retreat, the Qin soldiers saw the shadows of the trees and grass on the mountains behind them and thought they were pursuers. Therefore, they were panicked by everything and everyone, and trampled each other, making the situation even more chaotic. In the end, Fu Jian's Qin army suffered a complete defeat, while the Eastern Jin Dynasty achieved a great victory.
Usage
这个成语形容人非常惊慌，疑神疑鬼，把周围的一切都看成是敌人。常用作贬义，讽刺那些做事疑神疑鬼、缺乏自信的人。
This idiom describes someone who is very scared and suspicious, seeing enemies everywhere. It is often used pejoratively to satirize those who are anxious and lack confidence.
Examples
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他吓得草木皆兵，什么事都往坏处想。
ta xia de cao mu jie bing, shi me shi dou wang huai chu xiang.
He was so scared that he was seeing enemies everywhere.
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战争结束后，许多人依然草木皆兵，夜不能寐。
zhan zheng jie shu hou, xu duo ren yi ran cao mu jie bing, ye bu neng mei.
After the war, many people were still afraid and couldn't sleep.