Chinese idiom · 成语
引而不发
Meaning
To draw the bow without releasing: to guide without giving everything away, or to hold prepared action in reserve.
Character by character
Origin and story
Philosophical analogyIn Mencius, Jin Xin I, Gongsun Chou worries that the Way seems so lofty that learners cannot reach it. Mencius answers that a master carpenter does not discard the measuring line for a poor apprentice, nor does a great archer change the standard for a poor shot. He then pictures the exemplary teacher drawing a bow without releasing the arrow.
The teaching image suggests showing the direction and making the method evident while leaving the learner to grasp and carry it through. Later uses also describe someone fully prepared but withholding action until the right moment. That strategic sense is an extension of the educational setting, not the passage's only meaning.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
老师讲到关键处便引而不发，让我们自己找出下一步。
At the crucial point, the teacher gave us a lead without finishing the explanation, leaving us to find the next step.
Can describe prompting learners or holding prepared action in reserve; context distinguishes them.