螳螂捕蝉,黄雀在后

táng láng bǔ chán , huáng què zài hòu

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

螳

táng

praying mantis

螂

láng

variant of 螂[lang2]

捕

bǔ

to catch; to seize; to capture

蝉

chán

cicada

,

,

黄

huáng

yellow

雀

què

(bound form) small bird

在

zài

to exist; to be alive

后

hòu

back