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 trying to stop a vehicle with its foreleg”.

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.]

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 fate of) the praying mantis? It angrily stretches out its arms, to arrest the progress of the carriage, 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 ㄉㄤㄔㄜ, ㄊㄤˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄉㄤˇ ㄔㄜ
Cantonese (Jyutping): tong⁴ bei³ dong² geoi¹
Min Nan (POJ): tông-pì-tòng-chhia / tông-pì-tong-ki / tông-pì-tong-ku

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese, standard in Mainland and Taiwan)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: tángbìdāngchē
  - Zhuyin: ㄊㄤˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄉㄤㄔㄜ
  - 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 tɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹¹ 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/
Min Nan
- (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 t͡ɕʰia⁴⁴/
- (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

(figurative) to overrate oneself and attempt something impossible

Synonyms

自不量力 (zìbùliànglì)
夸父逐日 (kuāfùzhúrì)

Descendants

→ Japanese: 蟷螂の斧, 蟷螂が龍車に向う

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