069Japanese idiom 四字熟語
一石二鳥
いっせきにちょうIsseki nichō
“One stone, two birds.”
The meaning
Well chosen, a single effort can bear two fruits. Intelligence of action beats multiplication of actions.
At the origin
A four-character idiom from the English proverb "to kill two birds with one stone".
The characters
In practice
Look for the action that serves two of your goals at once.
Editorial note
Western origin, adopted into Japanese usage.