During the Warring States period, Bai Qi, a famed general of Qin, won battle after battle, seizing vast lands from Han, Zhao, and Chu for the King of Qin. One day, as he marched to attack Wei, a strategist named Su Li rushed to the Zhou king and warned, "If Bai Qi conquers Wei, Your Majesty's own position will be in grave danger."
At that time, the various feudal states were locked in years of relentless warfare. The Zhou king, though nominally the Son of Heaven, had lost all authority over them. If Wei fell to Qin, Qin's power would grow even stronger, posing a greater threat to the Zhou king himself. The Zhou king asked Su Li what to do. Su Li advised, 'Send someone at once to persuade General Bai Qi to halt his attack, and have him tell Bai Qi a story as I have instructed.'
Su Li's story went like this.
During the Spring and Autumn period, Yang Youji of Chu was a legendary archer, renowned for his extraordinary strength and skill from a young age. One day, he faced off against another expert, Pan Hu, in a public archery contest. A crowd gathered as Pan Hu drew his bow and shot three arrows in a row, each one hitting the bullseye dead center. The spectators erupted in applause. Pan Hu, smugly confident, turned to Yang Youji and said, "Can you match that?" Without a word, Yang Youji stepped forward, nocked an arrow, and aimed at a willow leaf a hundred paces away. He declared, "I will hit this leaf on my first shot." With a twang, the arrow flew true, piercing the leaf cleanly. The crowd gasped in awe, and Pan Hu's arrogance melted into stunned silence. This story gave rise to the expression "hitting a willow leaf from a hundred paces," a testament to Yang Youji's peerless marksmanship. Source: *Strategies of the Warring States*, "Strategy of the Western Zhou"
A target was set fifty paces away, with a board propped up featuring a red center. Pan Hu drew his powerful bow and fired three arrows in a row, each striking the bullseye, drawing cheers from the onlookers. Pan Hu, quite pleased with himself, clasped his hands toward Yang Youji and asked for his guidance.
Yang Youji glanced around and said, "Shooting a red target from fifty paces is too close and too big. Let's shoot a willow leaf from a hundred paces instead!"
After saying this, he pointed to a willow tree a hundred paces away, had someone select a leaf on the tree and paint it red as a target. Then, he drew his bow and shot with a "swish." The arrowhead pierced exactly through the center of that willow leaf.
The onlookers were stunned. Pan Hu, knowing he lacked such extraordinary skill but unwilling to concede defeat, walked to the willow tree, selected three different leaves, marked them with numbers using colored paint, and challenged Yang Youji, "Now shoot them in order of the numbers."
Yang Youji stepped forward a few paces, clearly read the numbers, then retreated a hundred paces away, drew his bow, and with three "swish" sounds, shot three arrows through the three numbered willow leaves. At this, thunderous applause erupted, and Pan Hu was completely convinced.
Amid the cheers, someone beside Yang Youji said coldly, "Hmph, with such skill at hitting a willow leaf from a hundred paces, you could teach him archery!" Yang Youji, taken aback by the man's arrogance, turned around and asked, "And how do you plan to teach me archery?"
The man said calmly, "I am not here to teach you how to draw a bow and shoot arrows, but to remind you how to preserve your reputation for archery. Have you considered that once your strength is exhausted, if just one arrow misses, your reputation for hitting every shot will be affected? A truly skilled archer should be mindful of maintaining his reputation."
Yang Youji listened carefully, found the advice profoundly true, and thanked the speaker repeatedly.
The Zhou emperor's envoy, following Su Li's instructions, recounted this story to Bai Qi. After hearing it, Bai Qi, mindful of preserving his reputation for a hundred victories without a single defeat, decided against risking an easy campaign and, citing illness, halted the advance on the state of Wei.
Later, the idiom "Hitting a Willow at a Hundred Paces" came to describe exceptional archery skill, and by extension, great ability that achieves its intended goal without fail.
Source: *Strategies of the Warring States*, Chapter "Western Zhou"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "百步穿杨" came to describe exceptional archery skill, and by extension, great ability that achieves its intended goal without fail.