2024年3月26日发(作者:峭壁)
螳螂捕蝉 (táng láng bǔ chán)
Wasted Warnings
A cicada, a praying mantis, an oriole and a young man. Can
you guess what's special about the four? If not,your Chine
friends will tell you that this peculiar group is responsible
for a famous and also thought-provoking expression in the
Chine language.
The story concerning this idiom, Tang Lang Bu Chan, or a
praying mantis stalks a cicada, dates back to the lateSpring
and Autumn Period (770-476 BC).
After defeating the State of Yue, the king of the State of
Wu became arrogant and indulged himlf in creaturecomforts.
He was not aware that the king of the State of Yue was
undergoing great lf-impod hardship in order tostrengthen
his resolve to wipe out the humiliation of his defeat.
Wu Zixu, an upright official in the court of the State of
Wu, repeatedly warned the king about the potentialdanger. But
the king turned a deaf ear to the warnings and finally, fed up
with Wu's nagging, ordered theofficial to commit suicide.
Meanwhile, the king of Yue was preparing to launch attacks
against the State of Wu. Seeing the pendingdanger, Crown Prince
You of the State of Wu decided to u a ploy to convince the
king that something mustbe done to fend off the coming attacks.
One day, the crown prince, with a slingshot in his hand and
wet like a drenched chicken, went to e the kingof Wu. "What
happened to you?" the kind asked. The crown prince then told
the king the following story:
"When I went into the garden early this morning, I saw a
cicada chirping on a tree and a praying mantissneakily
approaching the inct from behind.
"As the praying mantis was about to strike, it didn't notice
an oriole waiting for an opportunity for a quickmeal.
"I thought the bird did not notice that I was standing under
the tree with a slingshot in my hand, so I decidedto step
backward and shoot the bird. However, I failed to e there was
a small pond behind me and when Istepped back, I fell in."
After listening to You's story, the king of Wu burst into
laughter.
"You are stupid. You care too much about the gains ahead
without being aware of the danger behind," theking said. "You
must take a lesson from this."
"Yes," the crown prince answered. "But, others should also
draw a lesson from my mirable experience."
"What do you mean?" the king asked. The crown prince
elaborated that for no reason, the State of Qi invadedthe State
of Lu, but it did not expect that the State of Wu would attack
it from the rear.
And now, the State of Wu had become complacent after its
victory over the State of Yue, but did not suspectthat the
latter was preparing to mount an offensive.
The king of Wu angrily interrupted You, saying: "You are
playing the same old tune as Wu Zixu did before. I donot want
to hear about this any more."
A few years later, the State of Yue's troops launched a mass
invasion of the State of Wu and soon ized thewhole kingdom.
The king of Wu killed himlf.
So, when one is so eager to lay his hands on the gains ahead,
he should think about this Chine idiom of a cicada, a praying
mantis, an oriole and a young man.
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