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    We use it to describe people who make every shot count. It comes from a very old story.

     In the State of Chu about 2,500 years ago, there was a famous archer named Yang Youji. He was a strong and brave man. At that time, there was another well-known archer, Pan Hu. One day, they met in a field and decided to see who was the best with a bow and arrow. A lot of people came to watch.

       The target was a board, 50 paces away. On the board, there was a red dot. Pan Hu quickly shot three arrows, one after the other. They all hit the red dot. The onlookers cheered. Obviously very pleased with himself, Pan Hu looked smugly at Yang Youji and said, “There! Now you try it.”

       Yang looked around and answered: “ To hit the red dot at fifty paces is a snap. I can shoot a willow leaf at one hundred paces." He then pointed to a willow tree about a hundred yards away, and asked someone to choose a leaf and paint it red. With a twang of the bow string, thearrow flew through the air and went dead through the center of the red leaf.

       The people were amazed. Pan Hu knew he had no such ability, but he also couldn"t believe that Yang could hit a willow leaf every time. So he went to the willow tree and chose three leaves, which he listed as one, two, and three. Then he asked Yang to shoot them in order.

       Yang did not say a word. He took up his bow and let off three arrows. It was unbelievable! Each arrow pierced the very center of the selected leaf. The people cheered even louder. Yang was very proud of his performance, but he suddenly heard someone nearby say: “He still needs some instruction." Hearing this, Yang was very angry, and found the person who said it. “Do you want to teach me archery?” he demanded.

       The man replied calmly: “I do not come here to teach you archery, but to let you know how to keep your reputation. I see that you have beenhere a long time, and you are getting tired. If you continue, and miss with even one arrow, your reputation will be harmed. A person who is good at archery should know how to keep his reputation. You should stop now.”

 Hearing this, Yang accepted his advice, and called it a day.

       From Yang’s marksmanship, people drew the idiom Bai Bu Chuan Yang—shoot an arrow through a willow leaf a hundred paces away. Now it is used to describe someone who shoots with great accuracy. So if you find someone who is highly skilled with a gun or a bow and arrow, or at darts even, you can use the idiom Bai Bu Chuan Yang.