一石二鳥
一石二鳥（いっせきにちょう // killing two birds with one stone）
This 四字熟語 (よじじゅくご // 4-character compound word) comes from the English idiom "to kill two birds with one stone."
The kanji say just that:
一 (one)
石 (stone)
二 (two)
鳥 (bird)
You use it when doing one thing results in two simultaneous desirable results.
For example, in an anime, you might see a character shoot a gun, killing two of her enemies with a single bullet. She can then exclaim:
やったー！一石二鳥！！
やったー！ いっせきにちょう！！
Nice! I killed two birds with one stone!
Literally: “hooray! / yes! / score! + killing two birds with one stone!!”
↑ In the rather violent context described above, I probably would have just translated it as, "Nice! Two in one!" I went with the more literal translation, though, because the example above could actually be used in a variety of situations.
It doesn't have to be something violent, for example. Maybe the speaker cleaned his house and, while doing so, also found the watch that he thought he'd lost.
Throwing a stone = He cleaned his house.
Bird / Accomplishment #1 = The house is clean.
Bird / Accomplishment #2 = He found his watch.
やったー！一石二鳥！！
やったー！ いっせきにちょう！！
Nice! I killed two birds with one stone!
Literally: “hooray! / yes! / score! + killing two birds with one stone!!”
It's also possible to see the specific benefits laid out alongside the word 一石二鳥, as in the following example:
自転車で通勤すれば、節約にもなるしダイエットにもなるし、一石二鳥じゃない？
じてんしゃ で つうきん すれば、 せつやく に も なる し ダイエット に も なる し、 いっせきにちょう じゃない？
If you commute to work by bicycle, you can save money and lose weight. It’s like killing two birds with one stone, right?
Literally: “bicycle + で + commuting to work + if you do, + saving money / economizing + に + も + becomes + し, + dieting / losing weight + に + も + becomes + し, + killing two birds with one stone, + isn’t it?”
↑ Not sure about the meaning of し in the example above? Maybe you should review this: [NDL #344] - JLPT N4: し (and, besides).
Let's look at the kanji in 一石二鳥 one by one...
Meaning of 一：one (no.1)
Heisig Keyword: one
一個ちょうだい。
いっこ ちょうだい。
Can I have one?
Literally: “one (little thing) + please (give me).”
Meaning of 石：stone
Heisig Keyword: stone
きれいな色の石だね。
きれいな いろ の いし だ ね。
That rock [stone] has a pretty color, huh?
Literally: “pretty + color + の + stone + だ + ね.”
Meaning of 二：two (no.2)
Heisig Keyword: two
トイレは二階にあります。
トイレ は にかい に あります。
The bathroom is on the second floor.
Literally: “toilet + は + second floor + に + is.”
Meaning of 鳥：bird
Heisig Keyword: bird
ペンギンは飛べない鳥です。
ペンギン は とべない とり です。
Penguins are birds that cannot fly.
Literally: “penguin + は + cannot fly + bird + です.”
一石二鳥（いっせきにちょう // killing two birds with one stone）
やったー！一石二鳥！！
やったー！ いっせきにちょう！！
Nice! I killed two birds with one stone!
Literally: “hooray! / yes! / score! + killing two birds with one stone!!”
自転車で通勤すれば、節約にもなるしダイエットにもなるし、一石二鳥じゃない？
じてんしゃ で つうきん すれば、 せつやく に も なる し ダイエット に も なる し、 いっせきにちょう じゃない？
If you commute to work by bicycle, you can save money and lose weight. It’s like killing two birds with one stone, right?
Literally: “bicycle + で + commuting to work + if you do, + saving money / economizing + に + も + becomes + し, + dieting / losing weight + に + も + becomes + し, + killing two birds with one stone, + isn’t it?”
This 四字熟語 (よじじゅくご // 4-character compound word) comes from the English idiom "to kill two birds with one stone."
The kanji say just that:
一 (one)
石 (stone)
二 (two)
鳥 (bird)
You use it when doing one thing results in two simultaneous desirable results.
For example, in an anime, you might see a character shoot a gun, killing two of her enemies with a single bullet. She can then exclaim:
やったー！一石二鳥！！
やったー！ いっせきにちょう！！
Nice! I killed two birds with one stone!
Literally: “hooray! / yes! / score! + killing two birds with one stone!!”
↑ In the rather violent context described above, I probably would have just translated it as, "Nice! Two in one!" I went with the more literal translation, though, because the example above could actually be used in a variety of situations.
It doesn't have to be something violent, for example. Maybe the speaker cleaned his house and, while doing so, also found the watch that he thought he'd lost.
Throwing a stone = He cleaned his house.
Bird / Accomplishment #1 = The house is clean.
Bird / Accomplishment #2 = He found his watch.
やったー！一石二鳥！！
やったー！ いっせきにちょう！！
Nice! I killed two birds with one stone!
Literally: “hooray! / yes! / score! + killing two birds with one stone!!”
It's also possible to see the specific benefits laid out alongside the word 一石二鳥, as in the following example:
自転車で通勤すれば、節約にもなるしダイエットにもなるし、一石二鳥じゃない？
じてんしゃ で つうきん すれば、 せつやく に も なる し ダイエット に も なる し、 いっせきにちょう じゃない？
If you commute to work by bicycle, you can save money and lose weight. It’s like killing two birds with one stone, right?
Literally: “bicycle + で + commuting to work + if you do, + saving money / economizing + に + も + becomes + し, + dieting / losing weight + に + も + becomes + し, + killing two birds with one stone, + isn’t it?”
↑ Not sure about the meaning of し in the example above? Maybe you should review this: [NDL #344] - JLPT N4: し (and, besides).
Let's look at the kanji in 一石二鳥 one by one...
Meaning of 一：one (no.1)
Heisig Keyword: one
一個ちょうだい。
いっこ ちょうだい。
Can I have one?
Literally: “one (little thing) + please (give me).”
Meaning of 石：stone
Heisig Keyword: stone
きれいな色の石だね。
きれいな いろ の いし だ ね。
That rock [stone] has a pretty color, huh?
Literally: “pretty + color + の + stone + だ + ね.”
Meaning of 二：two (no.2)
Heisig Keyword: two
トイレは二階にあります。
トイレ は にかい に あります。
The bathroom is on the second floor.
Literally: “toilet + は + second floor + に + is.”
Meaning of 鳥：bird
Heisig Keyword: bird
ペンギンは飛べない鳥です。
ペンギン は とべない とり です。
Penguins are birds that cannot fly.
Literally: “penguin + は + cannot fly + bird + です.”
一石二鳥（いっせきにちょう // killing two birds with one stone）
やったー！一石二鳥！！
やったー！ いっせきにちょう！！
Nice! I killed two birds with one stone!
Literally: “hooray! / yes! / score! + killing two birds with one stone!!”
自転車で通勤すれば、節約にもなるしダイエットにもなるし、一石二鳥じゃない？
じてんしゃ で つうきん すれば、 せつやく に も なる し ダイエット に も なる し、 いっせきにちょう じゃない？
If you commute to work by bicycle, you can save money and lose weight. It’s like killing two birds with one stone, right?
Literally: “bicycle + で + commuting to work + if you do, + saving money / economizing + に + も + becomes + し, + dieting / losing weight + に + も + becomes + し, + killing two birds with one stone, + isn’t it?”
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