螳螂捕蝉

Traditional form:

螳螂捕蟬

Pinyin (reading):

tánglángbǔchán

Definitions:

• the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind (idiom, from Daoist classic Zhuangzi 莊子／庄子 ( Zhuāngzǐ)); to pursue a narrow gain while neglecting a greater danger

Characters:

• 螳 - praying mantis
• 螂 - mantis, dung beetle
• 捕 - to arrest, to catch, to seize
• 蝉 - cicada; continuous

Traditional characters:

• 螳 - praying mantis
• 螂 - mantis, dung beetle
• 捕 - to arrest, to catch, to seize
• 蟬 - cicada; continuous