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Chinese
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praying mantis
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to catch; to seize; to capture
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cicada
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Eurasian siskin
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(located) at; in; exist (located) at; in; exist; (before verbs) immediately involved in; right in the middle of doing |
back; behind; rear back; behind; rear; afterwards; after; later |
| trad. (螳螂捕蟬，黃雀在後)
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螳螂
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捕
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蟬
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，
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黃雀
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在
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後
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| simp. (螳螂捕蝉，黄雀在后)
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螳螂
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捕
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蝉
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，
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黄雀
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在
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后
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| Literally: “the mantis catches the cicada, unaware of the siskin behind”.
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Etymology
(Can this(+) etymology be sourced?)
From a folk tale for which the earliest attestation is in Zhuangzi:
莊周遊乎雕陵之樊，睹一異鵲自南方來者，翼廣七尺，目大運寸，感周之顙而集於栗林。莊周曰：「此何鳥哉？翼殷不逝，目大不覩。」蹇裳躩步，執彈而留之。睹一蟬方得美蔭而忘其身；螳蜋執翳而搏之，見得而忘其形；異鵲從而利之，見利而忘其真。莊周怵然曰：「噫！物固相累，二類相召也。」捐彈而反走，虞人逐而誶之。
庄周游乎雕陵之樊，睹一异鹊自南方来者，翼广七尺，目大运寸，感周之颡而集于栗林。庄周曰：「此何鸟哉？翼殷不逝，目大不睹。」蹇裳躩步，执弹而留之。睹一蝉方得美荫而忘其身；螳蜋执翳而搏之，见得而忘其形；异鹊从而利之，见利而忘其真。庄周怵然曰：「噫！物固相累，二类相召也。」捐弹而反走，虞人逐而谇之。 - From: Zhuangzi, circa 3rd – 2nd centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
- Zhuāng Zhōu yóu hū Diāo Líng zhī fán, dǔ yī yì què zì nán fāng lái zhě, yì guǎng qī chǐ, mù dà yùn cùn, gǎn Zhōu zhī sǎng ér jí yú lì lín. Zhuāng Zhōu yuē: “Cǐ hé niǎo zāi? Yì yīn bù shì, mù dà bù dǔ.” Jiǎn shang jué bù, zhí dàn ér liú zhī. Dǔ yī chán fāng dé měi yīn ér wàng qí shēn; tángláng zhí yì ér bó zhī, jiàn dé ér wàng qí xíng; yì què cóng ér lì zhī, jiàn lì ér wàng qí zhēn. Zhuāng Zhōu chù rán yuē: “Yī! Wù gù xiàng lěi, èr lèi xiàng zhào yě.” Juān dàn ér fǎn zǒu, yú rén zhú ér suì zhī.
- As Zhuang Zhou was rambling in the park of Diao-ling he saw a strange bird which came from the south. Its wings were seven cubits in width, and its eyes were large, an inch in circuit. It touched the forehead of Zhou as it passed him, and lighted in a grove of chestnut trees. "What bird is this?" said he, "with such great wings not to go on! And with such large eyes not to see me!" He lifted up his skirts, and hurried with his cross-bow, waiting for (an opportunity to shoot) it. (Meanwhile) he saw a cicada, which had just alighted in a beautiful shady spot, and forgot its (care for its) body. (Just then), a mantis raised its feelers, and pounced on the cicada, in its eagerness for its prey, (also) forgetting (its care for) its body; while the strange bird took advantage of its opportunity to secure them both, in view of that gain forgetting its true (instinct of preservation). Zhuang Zhou with an emotion of pity, said, "Ah! so it is that things bring evil on one another, each of these creatures invited its own calamity." (With this) he put away his cross-bow, and was hurrying away back, when the forester pursued him with terms of reproach.
The moral that one should not focus so much on an immediate gain as to neglect potential dangers became more explicitly attached to the tale in the literature of Western Han and later periods, with early records in Han Shi Waizhuan and Shuoyuan:
楚莊王將興師伐晉，告士大夫曰：「有敢諫者死無赦。」孫叔敖曰：「臣聞畏鞭箠之嚴而不敢諫其父，非孝子也；懼斧鉞之誅而不敢諫其君，非忠臣也。」於是遂進諫曰：「臣園中有榆，其上有蟬，蟬方奮翼悲鳴，欲飲清露，不知螳蜋之在後，曲其頸，欲攫而食之也；螳蜋方欲食蟬，而不知黃雀在後，舉其頸，欲啄而食之也；黃雀方欲食螳蜋，不知童子挾彈丸在下，迎而欲彈之；童子方欲彈黃雀，不知前有深坑，後有掘株也。此皆貪前之利，而不顧後害者也，非獨昆蟲眾庶若此也，人主亦然。［…］」楚國不殆，而晉以寧，孫叔敖之力也。
楚庄王将兴师伐晋，告士大夫曰：「有敢谏者死无赦。」孙叔敖曰：「臣闻畏鞭棰之严而不敢谏其父，非孝子也；惧斧钺之诛而不敢谏其君，非忠臣也。」于是遂进谏曰：「臣园中有榆，其上有蝉，蝉方奋翼悲鸣，欲饮清露，不知螳蜋之在后，曲其颈，欲攫而食之也；螳蜋方欲食蝉，而不知黄雀在后，举其颈，欲啄而食之也；黄雀方欲食螳蜋，不知童子挟弹丸在下，迎而欲弹之；童子方欲弹黄雀，不知前有深坑，后有掘株也。此皆贪前之利，而不顾后害者也，非独昆虫众庶若此也，人主亦然。［…］」楚国不殆，而晋以宁，孙叔敖之力也。 - From: Han shi waizhuan, 1nd century BCE, translated based on James R. Hightower's version
- Chǔ Zhuāng wáng jiāng xìng shī fá Jìn, gào shìdàfū yuē: “Yǒu gǎn jiàn zhě sǐ wú shè.” Sūn Shū Áo yuē: “Chén wén wèi biān chuí zhī yán ér bùgǎn jiàn qí fù, fēi xiàozǐ yě; jù fǔ yuè zhī zhū ér bùgǎn jiàn qí jūn, fēi zhōngchén yě.” Yú shì suì jìnjiàn yuē: “Chén yuán zhōng yǒu yú, qí shàng yǒu chán, chán fāng fèn yì bēimíng, yù yǐn qīng lù, bù zhī tángláng zhī zài hòu, qū qí jǐng, yù jué ér shí zhī yě; tángláng fāng yù shí chán, ér bù zhī huángquè zài hòu, jǔ qí jǐng, yù zhuó ér shí zhī yě; huángquè fāng yù shí tángláng, bù zhī tóngzǐ xié dànwán zài xià, yíng ér yù dàn zhī; tóngzǐ fāng yù dàn huángquè, bù zhī qián yǒu shēn kēng, hòu yǒu jué zhū yě. Cǐ jiē tān qián zhī lì, ér bù gù hòu hài zhě yě, fēi dú kūnchóng zhòngshù ruò cǐ yě, rénzhǔ yì rán. ［... ］” Chǔ guó bù dài, ér Jìn yǐ níng, Sūn Shū Áo zhī lì yě.
- King Zhuang of Chu was going to raise an army to attack Jin. He announced to his officials and Great Officers, "Anyone who dares object will be put to death without mercy." Sunshu Ao said, "I have heard that the son who, fearing the severity of a whipping, dares not remonstrate with his father is not filial, and that the minister who, fearing the punishment of axe and chopping block, dares not remonstrate with his prince is not loyal." Whereupon he went ahead and offered a remonstrance: "In my garden there is an elm tree. On top is a cicada. The cicada is just vibrating his wings and singing his sad song, intent on drinking the fresh dew, not knowing that the mantis behind him is twisting his neck, about to seize and eat him. The mantis, intent on eating the cicada, does not know that behind him the siskin is stretching his neck, about to peck and eat him. The siskin, intent on eating the mantis, does not know that the boy beneath the elm tree with cross-bow and pellets is looking up about to shoot him. The boy, intent on shooting the siskin, does not know that in front of him is a deep pit and behind him a tree stump. These all are occupied with the advantage before them without regarding the injury behind. It is not only animals and common people who behave like this; rulers also do the same thing. " That the state of Chu did not put itself in danger, while the state of Jin enjoyed peace was due to the efforts of Sunshu Ao.
吳王欲伐荊，告其左右曰：「敢有諫者死！」舍人有少孺子欲諫不敢，則懷丸操彈，游於後園，露沾其衣，如是者再三。吳王曰：「子來，何苦沾衣如此！」，
對曰：「園中有樹，其上有蟬，蟬高居悲鳴、飲露，不知螳螂在其後也；螳螂委身曲附，欲取蟬，不知黃雀在其旁也；黃雀延頸，欲啄螳螂，而不知彈丸在其下也。此三者皆務欲得其前利，而不顧其後之有患也。」
吳王曰：「善哉！」乃罷其兵。
吴王欲伐荆，告其左右曰：「敢有谏者死！」舍人有少孺子欲谏不敢，则怀丸操弹，游于后园，露沾其衣，如是者再三。吴王曰：「子来，何苦沾衣如此！」，
对曰：「园中有树，其上有蝉，蝉高居悲鸣、饮露，不知螳螂在其后也；螳螂委身曲附，欲取蝉，不知黄雀在其旁也；黄雀延颈，欲啄螳螂，而不知弹丸在其下也。此三者皆务欲得其前利，而不顾其后之有患也。」
吴王曰：「善哉！」乃罢其兵。 - From: Shuoyuan, circa 1st century BCE
- Wú wáng yù fá Jīng, gào qí zuǒyòu yuē: “Gǎn yǒu jiàn zhě sǐ!” Shè rén yǒu shào rúzǐ yù jiàn bùgǎn, zé huái wán cāo dàn, yóu yú hòu yuán, lù zhān qí yī, rú shì zhě zài sān. Wú wáng yuē: “Zǐ lái, hé kǔ zhān yī rúcǐ!”,
Duì yuē: “Yuán zhōng yǒu shù, qí shàng yǒu chán, chán gāo jū bēimíng, yǐn lù, bùzhī tángláng zài qí hòu yě; tángláng wěi shēn qū fù, yù qǔ chán, bùzhī huángquè zài qí páng yě; huángquè yán jǐng, yù zhuó tángláng, ér bùzhī dàn wán zài qí xià yě. Cǐ sān zhě jiē wù yù dé qí qián lì, ér bùgù qí hòu zhī yǒu huàn yě.”
Wú wáng yuē: “Shàn zāi!” Nǎi bà qí bīng. - The king of Wu wanted to subdue the Chu state, and told the ministers: "whoever dares to remonstrate dies!" A young man wished to remonstrate with the king but did not dare. He had hidden a projectile in his bosom with a slingshot in hand, and when wandering in the backyard, the dew wet his clothes for a few days like this. The king of Wu asked “how did you wet your clothes hard like this?"
The young man replied: "there is a tree in the garden with a cicada on the tree. The cicada was standing at a high place wailing and drinking dew, ignorant of a mantis behind it; the mantis curled up close to the branch, bent its forelimbs, attempting to grab the cicada, ignorant of a siskin next to it; the siskin extended its neck to peck the mantis, ignorant of the slingshot and projectile underneath it. All three of them chased after their immediate benefits without considering the hidden dangers behind them."
The king of Wu said "good!”, thus suspending his plan of conquest.
Pronunciation
Idiom
螳螂捕蟬，黃雀在後
- to pursue a narrow gain while neglecting a greater danger