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螳螂捕蝉，黄雀在后

tánglángbǔchán,huángquèzàihòu

Traditional: 螳螂捕蟬，黃雀在後

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

Character Breakdown

螳
táng
praying mantis
螂
láng
mantis, dung beetle
捕
bǔ
to arrest, to catch, to seize
HSK 6
蝉
chán
cicada; continuous
黄
huáng
yellow; surname
HSK 3
雀
què
sparrow
HSK 6
在
zài
at, in, on; to exist; used to indicate the present progressive tense
HSK 1
后
hòu
after; behind, rear; descendants
HSK 1

Additional Information

Category
Chinese
HSK Character Level
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HSK Word Level
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