Guoxue daily sentence - praying mantis catching cicadas, do you know that the yellow finches are behind

Praying mantises catch cicadas, do you know that the yellow finches are behind. --"Augmenting sages"

【Notes】

UGH: How, where

【Translation】

When the praying mantis caught the cicada, how could it expect the yellow finch to be right behind it?

【Reason】

We cannot take it lightly, and we cannot ignore the potential dangers in the immediate interests.

【Story】

During the Spring and Autumn Period, King Wu made up his mind to send troops to attack the Chu state, so he gathered his ministers and announced the news in public. When the ministers heard this, they suddenly exploded the pot, and this one said: "We are not strong enough, we should be replenished." The one also said, "Besides, if other countries take advantage of us and attack the Chu state to deal with us, the consequences will be unimaginable." ”

"Snap" King Wu heard that everyone was opposing his proposal, and slapped the table with great irritation, directly releasing harsh words, "You don't have to say it again, I am determined, if anyone dares to persuade me, I will take whose head." "Everyone, you look at me, I look at you, and no one dares to say another word."

There was a young man who served King Wu, heard the discussion of the ministers, and wanted to persuade King Wu, but King Wu had already given the order to die. He was walking around in his garden with a heavy heart, when he accidentally saw a cicada in a tree, and an idea suddenly popped into his head.

Early the next morning, he put on a slingshot and a projectile on his back, and went to the garden where King Wu often wandered, walking around under the tree, looking up from time to time, as if looking for something. The dew wet her clothes and shoes, and he didn't mind at all, and just like that, he turned around three mornings in a row.

Finally, one day, when King Wu was walking in the park, he saw the young man's actions, and he was a little puzzled, so he ordered someone to summon the young man and ask him: "What do you do every day with a slingshot in the garden?" The young man replied respectfully, "King Qi, I am looking at the cicadas and praying mantises in the tree." ”

"What's so nice about cicadas and praying mantises?" King Wu asked with a puzzled face, and the young man said mysteriously, "Great King, I have found a very interesting thing." King Wu became interested and hurriedly asked, "What's the matter?" ”

"Look, king," said the young man, pointing to a tree in the garden, "there is a cicada in that tree, and it is drinking the dew and chirping triumphantly, and it does not know, there is a praying mantis following behind him, quietly raising its front paws, ready to catch it, and then have a full meal." And this praying mantis, bent on catching the cicada, did not know that there was a yellow finch on its head, ready to eat it. But where did this yellow bird think that I was under the tree, aiming at it with a slingshot, ready to kill him. The young man raised the slingshot in his hand and continued, "Cicadas, praying mantises and yellow finches all see only the food in front of them, but they don't know the danger of looking back behind them, King, do you think they are too short-sighted?" ”

When King Wu heard this, he suddenly realized. Oh, he was taking the opportunity to advise me. King Wu thought about it for a moment and felt that what this young man said was very reasonable, and didn't he just care about the immediate interests and attack the Chu State now? At that time, if other countries take the opportunity to attack the State of Wu, then they will not make the mistake of catching mantises and catching cicadas, and do they know that the yellow bird is behind? As a result, King Wu dismissed the idea of sending troops to attack the State of Chu.

The cicada only thinks about the dew, even if he knows that there are praying mantises waiting to eat it behind him; and the praying mantis who only thinks about eating cicadas, I am afraid that he has never dreamed of it, and there are yellow finches behind him. Similarly, King Wu only knew that he would attack the State of Chu for the sake of temporary interests, but he did not think that there were other countries waiting behind his back to annex the State of Wu.

The mantis catching cicadas, do you know that the yellow finches are behind, is to let us not take it lightly, not only to care about the immediate interests, but to ignore the potential dangers.