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

Practice word

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

Character breakdown

Study each Hanzi separately, then return to the complete word so pronunciation, meaning, and movement stay connected.

螳táng

praying mantis

螂láng

mantis, dung beetle

捕bǔ

to arrest, to catch, to seize

蝉chán

cicada; continuous

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.

Related vocabulary

Words with the same characters

Compare how a familiar Hanzi changes meaning inside another word.

捕获bǔhuò

to catch; to capture; to seize

捕食bǔshí

to prey on; to catch and feed on; to hunt for food

捕捉bǔzhuō

to catch; to seize; to capture

逮捕dàibǔ

to arrest; to apprehend; to take into custody; Taiwan pr. [dai3bu3]

螳螂táng láng

mantis; praying mantis

螳臂当车táng bì dāng chē

lit. a mantis trying to stop a chariot (idiom); fig. to overrate oneself and attempt sth impossible