螳螂捕蝉,黄雀在后 in English tang2 lang2 bu3 chan2 , huang2 que4 zai4 hou4 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

Traditional Characters

Pinyin

tang2 lang2 bu3 chan2 , huang2 que4 zai4 hou4

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

tang2praying mantis lang2variant of 螂[lang2] bu3to catch chan2cicada huang2surname Huang or Hwang que4a freckle zai4(located) at hou4surname Hou