The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind: Meaning and Moral Explained

"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind" satirizes those who fixate only on immediate gain without considering the disaster lurking behind them. It serves as a warning to people who are short-sighted, blinded by greed, and heedless of future consequences. It also metaphorically describes someone who schemes to harm another, never realizing that someone else is scheming against them. Let us now take a closer look at this idiom, "the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."

The Original Text of "The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind"

The King of Wu wanted to attack Jing and told his attendants: "Anyone who dares to remonstrate will be put to death!" Among his retainers was a young man who wished to remonstrate but dared not. So he hid pellets in his bosom and held a slingshot in his hand, wandering in the back garden, until the dew soaked his clothes. He did this for three mornings. The King of Wu said: "Come here. Why do you trouble yourself so, getting your clothes soaked like this?" He replied: "There is a tree in the garden, and on it is a cicada. The cicada sits high, singing mournfully and drinking the dew, unaware that a mantis is behind it. The mantis crouches and bends its forelegs, intending to seize the cicada, unaware that an oriole is beside it. The oriole stretches its neck, intending to peck the mantis, unaware that a slingshot and pellets are below it. All three are intent on pursuing the gain before them, without considering the harm behind them." The King of Wu said: "Well said!" And so he called off his troops.

Translation of "The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind"

The King of Wu wanted to attack Chu and told his ministers: "I will kill anyone who dares to remonstrate against my sending troops!" Among the King of Wu's attendants was a young man who wanted to remonstrate but dared not. So he hid pellets in his bosom and held a slingshot in his hand, wandering in the back garden, until the dew soaked his clothes. He did this for several days. The King of Wu said: "You, why do you trouble yourself so, getting your clothes soaked like this?" The young man replied: "There is a tree in the garden, and on it is a cicada. The cicada sits high, crying aloud and sipping the dew, unaware that a mantis is behind it. The mantis bends its body and presses its forelegs together, intending to seize the cicada, unaware that an oriole is beside it. The oriole stretches its neck, intending to peck the mantis, unaware that a slingshot and pellets are below it. All three are determined to obtain the gain before them, without considering the hidden danger behind them." The King of Wu said: "Well said!" And so the King of Wu called off the war.

The Source of "The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind"

1. "Liu Xiang, Shuo Yuan, Volume Nine, Zheng Jian": "There is a tree in the garden, and on it is a cicada. The cicada sits high, singing mournfully and drinking the dew, unaware that a mantis is behind it! The mantis crouches and bends its forelegs, intending to seize the cicada without knowing that an oriole is beside it! The oriole stretches its neck, intending to peck the mantis without knowing that a slingshot and pellets are below it! All three are intent on pursuing the gain before them, without considering the harm behind them."

2. "Shuo Yuan, Zheng Jian": "He saw a cicada that had just found fine shade and forgot itself. A mantis, hiding under cover, seized it, seeing gain and forgetting its own form. A strange bird followed and profited from it, seeing gain and forgetting its true nature."

3. "Zhan Guo, Zhuangzi, Outer Chapters, Shan Mu, Chapter Twenty": "He saw a cicada that had just found fine shade and forgot itself. A mantis, hiding under cover, seized it, seeing gain and forgetting its own form. A strange bird followed and profited from it, seeing gain and forgetting its true nature."

4. "Qing, Ji Yun, Yuewei Caotang Biji, Volume Four, Huaixi Zazhi Fourteen": "Several years later, I heard that a Daoist priest in Shandong was struck by lightning. Perhaps this very priest had indulged in lust and killing to excess, and thus incurred heavenly punishment? 'The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind' - and the one holding the slingshot is behind that one too; this is what that means."

5. "Han Shi Wai Zhuan": "The mantis was just about to eat the cicada, unaware that an oriole was behind it, stretching its neck to peck and eat it."