jat1 gung1 se6 loeng5 zin3一弓射兩箭一弓射两箭

Jyutpingjat1 gung1 se6 loeng5 zin3

Yaleyāt gūng seh léuhng jin

Definition

To kill two birds with one stone; to succeed in achieving two goals with a single action.

colloquialdaily actions

How it's used

This idiom is a classic example of how Cantonese adapts traditional Chinese four character phrases into more localized, vivid imagery. While the standard written Chinese version is 一箭雙鵰, the version with 弓 and 箭 feels more grounded and descriptive in casual speech. It is frequently used in workplace or project management contexts when someone proposes an efficient strategy to handle multiple tasks simultaneously.

Examples

nei5你gam3咁joeng2樣zou6做zan1真hai6係jat1一gung1弓se6射loeng5兩zin3箭，haan1慳faan1返m4唔siu2少si4時gaan3間。

You really killed two birds with one stone doing it this way, saving quite a bit of time.

jau5有mou5冇baan6辦faat3法ho2可ji5以jat1一gung1弓se6射loeng5兩zin3箭，jat1一ci3次gwo3過gaau2搞dim6掂saai3晒loeng5兩gin2件si6事？

Is there any way to kill two birds with one stone and get both things done at once?

Common phrases

jat1一ci3次gwo3過

all at once

gaau2搞dim6掂

to get something done

Common mistake

Learners often confuse this with the more common written idiom 一箭雙鵰. While both are understood, using the latter in casual conversation might sound slightly more formal or literary compared to the more idiomatic phrasing.