During the final years of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, a man named Zhangsun Sheng lived in Luoyang, Henan. Though not deeply read, he was exceptionally clever, skilled in martial arts, and especially adept at archery. When young, he would race horses and hunt with companions, always returning with a full load of game.
At 18, Zhangsun Sheng became a low-ranking palace guard officer, and no one noticed his talent.
Duke Yang Jian of Sui once met Zhangsun Sheng by chance. After just a brief conversation, Yang Jian remarked, "Zhangsun Sheng is resourceful and highly skilled in martial arts. Who else but him will become a renowned general in the future?"
During the Northern Zhou dynasty, the nomadic Turkic Khaganate to the north sought to forge diplomatic ties. To flaunt their military might, both sides selected only the most formidable warriors as envoys. The Turkic leader Shetu was notoriously arrogant, dismissing every Northern Zhou envoy as beneath his notice.
One year, Zhangsun Sheng was ordered to accompany the chief envoy Yuwen Shenqing on a diplomatic mission to the Turks. Upon meeting Zhangsun Sheng, Shetu took an immediate liking to him and requested, "Please leave Zhangsun Sheng with me." Yuwen Shenqing agreed.
In the days that followed, Shetu always took Zhangsun Sheng along whenever he went hunting, and before they knew it, a full year had passed, yet Shetu still refused to let Zhangsun Sheng return to the Northern Zhou.
One day, Shetu was strolling in front of his tent when he suddenly heard a clamor overhead. Looking up, he saw two large vultures locked in a fierce struggle over a piece of meat in the sky. Excited, he immediately ordered two long arrows brought to him and handed them to Zhangsun Sheng, saying, "Please shoot down those two vultures."
Zhangsun Sheng readily agreed. Mounting his horse, he galloped toward the spot where the two vultures were locked in combat. As he drew near, he nocked an arrow, turned his body in a full circle to follow their movements, and with a sudden release, shot with all his might. Born with extraordinary strength, his arrow pierced straight through both vultures' chests, and the pair plummeted to the ground together.
The Turkic generals and soldiers, witnessing Zhangsun Sheng's masterful display of the "one arrow, two eagles" technique, erupted in thunderous applause from the entire hall. Shetu, overjoyed, immediately bestowed generous rewards upon Zhangsun Sheng and ordered the noble youths to frequently accompany him, learning his exceptional archery skills.
Later, people used the idiom "One Arrow, Two Eagles" to describe achieving two goals with a single action.
Source: *History of the Northern Dynasties*, "Biography of Zhangsun Sheng"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "一箭双雕" came to describe achieving two goals with a single action.