螳臂當車

Chinese

		praying mantis	arm	to act as; represent; equal to act as; represent; equal; should; fitting; suitable; adequate; proper; replace; to be; to hold a position; manage; withstand; when; during; ought; match equally; same; obstruct; just at (a time or place); on the spot; right; just at	vehicle on land; car; machine vehicle on land; car; machine; to shape with a lathe
trad. (螳臂當車)		螳	臂	當	車
simp. (螳臂当车)		螳	臂	当	车
alternative forms		螳臂擋車／螳臂挡车
Literally: “a mantis blocking a vehicle with its arms”.

Etymology

From Zhuangzi:

汝不知夫螳蜋乎？怒其臂以當車轍，不知其不勝任也，是其才之美者也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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汝不知夫螳蜋乎？怒其臂以当车辙，不知其不胜任也，是其才之美者也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Zhuangzi, circa 3^rd – 2^nd centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Rǔ bùzhī fú tángláng hū? Nù qí bì yǐ dāng chēzhé, bùzhī qí bù shēngrèn yě, shì qí cái zhī měi zhě yě. [Pinyin]

Do you not know the praying mantis? It angrily stretches out its arms, to block the car tracks, unconscious of its inability for such a task, but showing how much it thinks of its own powers.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): tángbìdāngchē, tángbìdǎngchē

  (Zhuyin): ㄊㄤˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄉㄤ ㄔㄜ, ㄊㄤˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄉㄤˇ ㄔㄜ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): tong⁴ bei³ dong² geoi¹
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): tông-pì-tòng-chhia / tông-pì-tong-ki / tông-pì-tong-ku

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese, standard in Mainland and Taiwan)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: tángbìdāngchē
    • Zhuyin: ㄊㄤˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄉㄤ ㄔㄜ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: tángbìdangche
    • Wade–Giles: tʻang²-pi⁴-tang¹-chʻê¹
    • Yale: táng-bì-dāng-chē
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tarngbihdangche
    • Palladius: танбиданчэ (tanbidančɛ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰɑŋ³⁵ pi⁵¹ tɑŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɤ⁵⁵/
      
  • (Standard Chinese, variant)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: tángbìdǎngchē
    • Zhuyin: ㄊㄤˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄉㄤˇ ㄔㄜ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: tángbìdǎngche
    • Wade–Giles: tʻang²-pi⁴-tang³-chʻê¹
    • Yale: táng-bì-dǎng-chē
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tarngbihdaangche
    • Palladius: танбиданчэ (tanbidančɛ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰɑŋ³⁵ pi⁵¹ tɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤ⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: tong⁴ bei³ dong² geoi¹
    • Yale: tòhng bei dóng gēui
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tong⁴ bei³ dong² goey¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: tong⁴ béi³ dong² gêu¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰɔːŋ²¹ pei̯³³ tɔːŋ³⁵ kɵy̯⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tông-pì-tòng-chhia
    • Tâi-lô: tông-pì-tòng-tshia
    • Phofsit Daibuun: dongpie'dorngchiaf
    • IPA (Xiamen): /tɔŋ²⁴⁻²² pi²¹⁻⁵³ tɔŋ²¹⁻⁵³ t͡sʰia⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tông-pì-tong-ki
    • Tâi-lô: tông-pì-tong-ki
    • Phofsit Daibuun: dongpie'dongky
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /tɔŋ²³⁻³³ pi²¹⁻⁴¹ tɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ ki⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tông-pì-tong-ku
    • Tâi-lô: tông-pì-tong-ku
    • Phofsit Daibuun: dongpie'dongkw
    • IPA (Taipei): /tɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ pi¹¹⁻⁵³ tɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ ku⁴⁴/

Idiom

螳臂當車

1. (figurative) to overrate oneself and attempt something impossible
   • 飘扬，共和国的旗帜‎^[1] (in Chinese), 1989

     稍有常識的人都會看出，如果我們的鐵騎繼續前進，這個螳臂當車的歹徒，難道能夠阻擋得了嗎？ [MSC, trad.]
     稍有常识的人都会看出，如果我们的铁骑继续前进，这个螳臂当车的歹徒，难道能够阻挡得了吗？ [MSC, simp.]

     Shāo yǒu chángshí de rén dōuhuì kànchū, rúguǒ wǒmen de tiěqí jìxù qiánjìn, zhège tángbìdāngchē de dǎitú, nándào nénggòu zǔdǎng de liǎo ma? [Pinyin]

     Everyone with some common sense can see that if our tanks continued to move forward, how can this ruffian with no knowledge in his ability resist?

Synonyms

• 自不量力 (zìbùliànglì)
• 夸父逐日 (kuāfùzhúrì)

Descendants

• → Japanese: 蟷螂の斧

See also

• (Vietnamese) châu chấu đá xe (literally “a grasshopper kicking a cart”)