Definition
作鸟兽散 is a four-character idiom (成语) that literally means 'to scatter like birds and beasts'. It describes a group of people fleeing or dispersing in a chaotic, disorderly way — like a stampede. You can use it for crowds, armies, or any gathering that suddenly breaks apart in panic. Note: the character 作 is commonly pronounced zuò in this idiom, but the source lists zuō; the standard reading is zuò.
idiom
to scatter in all directionsto flee helter-skelterstampede
Examples
- ，作鸟兽散。Jǐngchá yí dào, nàxiē xiǎofàn jiù zuō le.As soon as the police arrived, the vendors scattered in all directions.
- ，作鸟兽散。Tīng dào bàozhà shēng, rénqún lìkè zuō.Hearing the explosion, the crowd immediately fled helter-skelter.
- 作鸟兽散，。Díjūn bèi dǎbài hòu zuō, táo jìn le shān lǐ.After being defeated, the enemy troops scattered like birds and beasts and fled into the mountains.
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