螳臂當車
Chinese
| praying mantis | arm | to act as; represent; equal to act as; represent; equal; should; fitting; suitable; adequate; proper; replace; to be; to hold a position; manage; withstand; when; during; ought; match equally; same; obstruct; just at (a time or place); on the spot; right; just at |
vehicle on land; car; machine vehicle on land; car; machine; to shape with a lathe | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (螳臂當車) | 螳 | 臂 | 當 | 車 | |
| simp. (螳臂当车) | 螳 | 臂 | 当 | 车 | |
| alternative forms | 螳臂擋車／螳臂挡车 | ||||
| Literally: “a mantis blocking a vehicle with its arms”. | |||||
Etymology
From Zhuangzi:
- 汝不知夫螳蜋乎？怒其臂以當車轍，不知其不勝任也，是其才之美者也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: Zhuangzi, circa 3rd – 2nd centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
- Rǔ bùzhī fú tángláng hū? Nù qí bì yǐ dāng chēzhé, bùzhī qí bù shēngrèn yě, shì qí cái zhī měi zhě yě. [Pinyin]
- Do you not know the praying mantis? It angrily stretches out its arms, to block the car tracks, unconscious of its inability for such a task, but showing how much it thinks of its own powers.
汝不知夫螳蜋乎？怒其臂以当车辙，不知其不胜任也，是其才之美者也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
Pronunciation
Descendants
- → Japanese: 蟷螂の斧
See also
- (Vietnamese) châu chấu đá xe (literally “a grasshopper kicking a cart”)
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