"Every bush and tree looks like an enemy" comes from The Book of Jin: The Biography of Fu Jian. It describes a person in extreme terror who becomes so suspicious and jumpy that they mistake the grass and trees on the mountain for enemy soldiers. The deeper meaning of this idiom is that when people are in a state of intense tension and fear, they tend to lose their rational judgment, become overly alert to their surroundings, and develop distorted perceptions, treating irrelevant things as threats. It is often used to describe the psychological state of those fleeing after defeat, those with a guilty conscience and cowardice, or those facing enormous pressure. In terms of cultural background, it reflects the psychological tactics used in ancient Chinese warfare as well as the universal psychological reactions of human beings in times of crisis. In emotional coloring, it carries a derogatory connotation and is mostly used to mock or criticize those who lose their reason out of fear. It has a wide range of applications, as it can describe not only military collapse but also behavior in daily life in which excessive worry leads one to see enemies everywhere.
📝 Example
1. Ever since that robbery, she has been so jumpy that any sound at night makes her fear someone is about to break in. (Describes extreme fear and paranoia.)
2. After news of the company layoffs spread, the employees became so jittery that they mistook even routine meetings for the announcement of the dismissal list. (Describes being overly sensitive due to panic.)