螳螂捕蟬原文
【原文】
吳王欲伐⑦荊①，告其左右曰：“敢有諫⑧者死!”舍人②有少孺子③欲諫不敢，則懷丸操彈，遊於後園，露沾其衣，如是者再三。吳王曰：“子來，何苦沾衣如此!”，對曰：“園中有樹，其上有蟬，蟬高居悲鳴，飲露，不知螳螂在其後也;螳螂委身曲附④，欲取蟬，而不知黃雀在其傍⑤也;黃雀延頸⑥，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。”吳王曰：“善哉!”乃罷其兵。(劉向《說苑·正諫》)
【出處】
《莊子·外篇·山木第二十》“睹一蟬，方得美蔭而忘其身，螳螂執翳(舉著草葉遮蔽自己，翳，掩蓋)而搏之，見得而忘其形;異鵲從而利之，見利而忘其真。”
【釋義】
螳螂正要捉蟬，不知黃雀在它後面正要吃它。形容行事僅顧前而不顧後。 或喻目光短淺， 僅視眼前利益，而不知後患能隨之而來，常用此語。
Once, the King of the State of Wu wanted to invade the State of Chu.
一次，吳王要進攻楚國。
The King of Wu warned his ministers: "If anyone should dare to dissuade me from invading Chu again, I will put him to death."
吳王警告他的大臣們說: “有誰再敢來勸阻我進攻楚國，我就處死他。”
One young hanger-on of his wanted to dissuade him but didn"t dare.
吳王的門客中有一個年青人，想去勸阻但又不敢。
He carried a slingshot, and for three consecutive days paced up and down in the King"s back garden.
他懷裡揣著彈弓，一連三個早晨在吳工的後花園裡徘徊。
The dew wetted his clothes all through.
露水溼透了他的衣服。
One day, the King of Wu called him:"The dew has wetted your clothes to such a state.
一天，吳王叫住他:“露水把你的衣服溼成這個樣子。
Why should you bear such hardship?"
你何必吃這個苦呢?”
The young man replied: "There is a cicada on a tree in this garden.
年青人回答說: “這個園子裡，有一棵樹，樹上有一隻蟬。
The cicada is high above, chirping leisurely and taking in the dew freely, not knowing that a mantis is right behind it.
蟬高高在上，悠閒地叫著，自由自在地吸著露水，卻不知道有一隻蝗螂在它身後呢!
The mantis, pressing its body close in a concealed place, is intent on catching the cicada, not knowing that a siskin is hiding right behind it.
蝗螂把身子緊緊地貼在隱蔽的地方，只想去捕蟬，卻不知道有一隻黃雀早已躲在它的身後呢!
The siskin is stretching out its neck to peck at the mantis, not knowing that a man carrying a slingshot is under it.
黃雀正伸長了脖子想去啄蝗螂，卻不知道在它下面正有人拿著彈弓呢!
These three small creatures make every effort only to get the benefit before them but ignore entirely the disaster behind."
這三隻小生物，只是力求得到它們眼前的利益，卻全不管它們身後隱伏著禍患啊!”
Having heard the young man"s words, the King of Wu suddenly saw the light and said: "What you said is right!"
吳王聽了年青人的話後，恍然大悟說: “你說得好啊!”
Consequently, the King of Wu dropped his plan to invade the State of Chu.
於是，吳王就不再進攻楚國了。
“螳螂捕蟬，黃雀在後”，中國成語，作者劉向，西漢人。諷刺了那些只顧眼前利益，不顧身後禍患的人。對鼠目寸光、利令智昏、不顧後患這類人提出警告。也比喻有人一心想暗算他人，卻沒想到有人卻在暗算自己。也可以說只為利益，將有報應。
螳螂捕蟬原文
【原文】
吳王欲伐⑦荊①，告其左右曰：“敢有諫⑧者死!”舍人②有少孺子③欲諫不敢，則懷丸操彈，遊於後園，露沾其衣，如是者再三。吳王曰：“子來，何苦沾衣如此!”，對曰：“園中有樹，其上有蟬，蟬高居悲鳴，飲露，不知螳螂在其後也;螳螂委身曲附④，欲取蟬，而不知黃雀在其傍⑤也;黃雀延頸⑥，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。”吳王曰：“善哉!”乃罷其兵。(劉向《說苑·正諫》)
【出處】
《莊子·外篇·山木第二十》“睹一蟬，方得美蔭而忘其身，螳螂執翳(舉著草葉遮蔽自己，翳，掩蓋)而搏之，見得而忘其形;異鵲從而利之，見利而忘其真。”
【釋義】
螳螂正要捉蟬，不知黃雀在它後面正要吃它。形容行事僅顧前而不顧後。 或喻目光短淺， 僅視眼前利益，而不知後患能隨之而來，常用此語。
Once, the King of the State of Wu wanted to invade the State of Chu.
一次，吳王要進攻楚國。
The King of Wu warned his ministers: "If anyone should dare to dissuade me from invading Chu again, I will put him to death."
吳王警告他的大臣們說: “有誰再敢來勸阻我進攻楚國，我就處死他。”
One young hanger-on of his wanted to dissuade him but didn"t dare.
吳王的門客中有一個年青人，想去勸阻但又不敢。
He carried a slingshot, and for three consecutive days paced up and down in the King"s back garden.
他懷裡揣著彈弓，一連三個早晨在吳工的後花園裡徘徊。
The dew wetted his clothes all through.
露水溼透了他的衣服。
One day, the King of Wu called him:"The dew has wetted your clothes to such a state.
一天，吳王叫住他:“露水把你的衣服溼成這個樣子。
Why should you bear such hardship?"
你何必吃這個苦呢?”
The young man replied: "There is a cicada on a tree in this garden.
年青人回答說: “這個園子裡，有一棵樹，樹上有一隻蟬。
The cicada is high above, chirping leisurely and taking in the dew freely, not knowing that a mantis is right behind it.
蟬高高在上，悠閒地叫著，自由自在地吸著露水，卻不知道有一隻蝗螂在它身後呢!
The mantis, pressing its body close in a concealed place, is intent on catching the cicada, not knowing that a siskin is hiding right behind it.
蝗螂把身子緊緊地貼在隱蔽的地方，只想去捕蟬，卻不知道有一隻黃雀早已躲在它的身後呢!
The siskin is stretching out its neck to peck at the mantis, not knowing that a man carrying a slingshot is under it.
黃雀正伸長了脖子想去啄蝗螂，卻不知道在它下面正有人拿著彈弓呢!
These three small creatures make every effort only to get the benefit before them but ignore entirely the disaster behind."
這三隻小生物，只是力求得到它們眼前的利益，卻全不管它們身後隱伏著禍患啊!”
Having heard the young man"s words, the King of Wu suddenly saw the light and said: "What you said is right!"
吳王聽了年青人的話後，恍然大悟說: “你說得好啊!”
Consequently, the King of Wu dropped his plan to invade the State of Chu.
於是，吳王就不再進攻楚國了。
“螳螂捕蟬，黃雀在後”，中國成語，作者劉向，西漢人。諷刺了那些只顧眼前利益，不顧身後禍患的人。對鼠目寸光、利令智昏、不顧後患這類人提出警告。也比喻有人一心想暗算他人，卻沒想到有人卻在暗算自己。也可以說只為利益，將有報應。