螳螂捕蝉，黄雀在后

螳螂捕蝉，黄雀在后 (táng láng bǔ chán huáng què zài hòu) literally means “the mantis catches the cicada, while the yellow bird waits behind.” It describes pursuing an immediate gain while overlooking a danger or rival waiting to take advantage.

Use 螳螂捕蝉，黄雀在后 (táng láng bǔ chán, huáng què zài hòu) when a pursuer overlooks another threat behind the apparent opportunity. It is more specific than simply saying to be careful. This retelling follows the young attendant and the king of Wu in Shuoyuan, Zhengjian; Zhuangzi, Shanmu has a related but different narrative frame. For example: 他只想着抢别人的客户，却没发现另一家公司也在打他的主意，真是螳螂捕蝉，黄雀在后。 (He thinks only about taking someone else’s customers, without noticing another company targeting his business in turn.)

The pinyin pronunciation for 螳螂捕蝉，黄雀在后 is “táng láng bǔ chán huáng què zài hòu.”