螳螂捕蝉 in English tang2 lang2 bu3 chan2 Meaning

Meanings

  • the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind (idiomatic expression, from Daoist classic Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3]); to pursue a narrow gain while neglecting a greater danger

Simplified Characters

螳 螂 捕 蝉

Traditional Characters

螳 螂 捕 蟬

Pinyin

tang2 lang2 bu3 chan2

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

螳tang2praying mantis 螂lang2variant of 螂[lang2] 捕bu3to catch 蝉chan2cicada