Word information
Simplified螳螂捕蝉
Traditional螳螂捕蟬
Pinyintáng láng bǔ chán
Part of speechDictionary
HSK 3.0Not listed
HSK 2.0Not listed
Chinese word dictionary
螳螂捕蝉
táng láng bǔ chán · the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind (idiom, from Daoist classic Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3]); to pursue a narrow gain while neglecting a greater danger
Character breakdown
Study each Hanzi separately, then return to the complete word so pronunciation, meaning, and movement stay connected.
How to learn 螳螂捕蝉
Listen once without reading, repeat the pinyin with its tones, then write every character in sequence. Finally, recall the complete meaning instead of memorizing each character as an isolated translation.
When the word appears in a sentence, check whether its part of speech and meaning match the definition shown here. Chinese words can change nuance with context.
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