#초반화에 뭐가 엄청 많네

[shaguagua]

螳螂捕蟬 黃雀在後

A mantis preying on a cicada, while a sparrow preying on its back.

This is one of the idiom from 春秋時代(chūn qiū shí dài; Spring and Autumn chinese period in 770 to 403 BC). The story is about 吳王(wú wáng), 夫差(fū chāi) after 吳 had conquered 越(yuè).

夫差 was overweening, killed rotal retainers and generals. 越 had sent 西施(Xī Shī) for his concubine and 夫差 loved her so much didn't do anything but sumptuous feasts. When 越 was preparing for getting their nation back. 吳 retianers asked and begged the king to recover his political sences, he had not listened. 夫差 had son, named 友(Yǒu). One day 友 was passing by 夫差, wet and holding a bow. 夫差 asked him “what happend to you?” then 友 answered,

園中有樹, 其上有蟬. 蟬高居悲鳴飮露, 不知螳螂在其後也. 螳螂委身曲附, 欲取蟬而不顧知黃雀在其傍也. 黃雀延頸欲啄螳螂而不知彈丸在其下也. 此三者皆務欲得其前利而不顧其後之有患也

In the morning when I went to the garden, there was a cicada on the high branch of the tree. At the back of the cicada, there was also a mantis, which tried to prey on. Then a sparrow noticed that mantis as prey, but it seems the mantis hadn't noticed his menace. So I aimed for the sparrow but I hadn't noticed the pond in front. This shows, they are blinded by small gain in front, they have not seen the obvious threat.

Later, 越 invaded 吳, 吳 was defeated. Then 夫差 killed himself. It is also in 莊子 (zhuāng zǐ), he interpreted that the luck calls the wrath and the wrath calls the luck. It is used as people only sees small profit it front when there will be more trouble coming because of that.

To be honest, I don't know which is what Wen kexing intends to whom. How Zhou zishu understood that Wen kexing was the sparrow, while the mantis and the cicada were the 江湖 (jianghu) people. Then who's going to draw the bow? This story keeps coming by Xie wang and Zhao jing as well.