kick against the pricks(táng bì dǎng chē)

a mantis trying to stop a chariot

It is a Chinese idiom. Its pronunciation is t á NGB ì D ā ngch ē, which means that the mantis raises its forelimb in an attempt to block the car. It means that if you do something that your strength can't do, you are bound to fail.

explain

When: blocking. The mantis raises its front legs to block the advancing car. It is a metaphor to say that failure is inevitable due to excessive or irresistible power.

usage

Subject predicate type; as predicate and object.

Discrimination of words

[synonym] overstepping one's own strength, Taishan crushing the egg, shaking the tree, beating the stone with the egg

source

Chuang Tzu, the world of men: "you don't know if your husband is a mantis. If you are angry with his arm, it will become a rut. You don't know if he is incompetent." When the Duke of Qizhuang went hunting, he had a worm to lift, and his foot would fight with it. He asked the emperor, "what kind of insect is this?" He said to him, "this is the mantis. It's a worm. It knows how to enter, but it doesn't know what to do, and it ignores the enemy "Zhuang Gong said:" this is for people, will be brave for the world Turn back and avoid it. Fight: Fight: drive. enter: turn around. : when Zhuang Gong, king of Qi, went out hunting, a mantis raised its foot to fight with the wheel of his carriage. (Duke Zhuang) asks his coachman, "what kind of insect is this?" The coachman said, "this is a mantis. As a worm, it only knows how to advance but not how to retreat. It is rash to confront the enemy without estimating the balance of power. " Zhuang Gong said: "if this insect is a human, it must be a warrior in the world." So let the car detour to avoid it, and later the warriors all went to zhuanggong.

Examples

Who knows, although the belly is far away from the profound, it is arrogant, as if no one else, but everywhere on the face. It can be said that "~, you are too much of yourself." The 18th chapter of Jing Hua Yuan by Li Ruzhen in Qing Dynasty. Zeng Pu's "flowers of the evil sea" Chapter 24: "since he wants to come to the mantis arm as a chariot, why don't I go to the whole lion to fight the rabbit and give him a bad impression

allusion

The original text: when Duke Qizhuang went hunting, one insect raised his foot to fight his round. He asked the emperor, "what kind of insect is this?" He said to him, "this is the mantis. They are insects. They know and then don't know, but they despise the enemy Zhuang Gong said: "this is a man, but he must be brave for the world!" Return and avoid, and the warrior return. In the spring and Autumn period, Qi zhuanggong, the king of the state of Qi, once went out hunting in his car. Suddenly, he saw a small insect on the side of the road, stretching out his two arms like forelegs, trying to block the wheel. Zhuang Gong asked the driver, "what kind of insect is this?" The driver replied, "this is a mantis. Seeing the car coming, it doesn't know how to retreat quickly, but it has to stop it. It's really beyond its capacity." Zhuang Gong said with a smile: "what an excellent warrior! Let's not hurt him!" Then he told the driver to pull over, get out of the way and walk by the roadside. This matter soon spread. People say that Zhuang Gong loves the brave. Many brave warriors came to him one after another. However, as an idiom, "the mantis arm pawns the cart" is not a metaphor for an outstanding warrior, but a ridiculous figure who oversteps his ability.

Idiom story

Chuang Tzu's human world says: "don't you know the mantis? I don't know if I'm incompetent when I'm angry with my arm as a rut! " In addition, there is also a saying in Zhuangzi · heaven and earth that "if the mantis's angry arm is used as a rut, it will not be enough.". There is no derogatory meaning in the original words of "mantis arm". Later, it is generally compared to people who overstepped their abilities, pretended to be heroes and tried to resist some powerful forces. The idiom "mantis arm pawns a cart" is just derived from the original meaning of "incompetence" in Zhuangzi. In the spring and Autumn period, there was a wise man named h é in the state of Lu who was invited by linggong of the state of Wei to be the teacher of his crown prince Ku ǎ IGU ì. Yan he heard that Kuai Hui was a man of fierce virtue. When he came to the state of Wei, he first visited the sage of Wei, Q ú Boyu, and asked how to teach Kuai Hui well. She replied that it's right for you to ask about the situation first. It's good for you, but it's hard to achieve your goal if you want to teach the prince well with your talents. And further said: "don't you know the mantis? Anger his arm when rutting, I do not know his incompetence, is the beauty of his talent. Caution, caution The mantis bulges its arms to block the wheel of the car. It doesn't know that it is incompetent, but does think that it is good and beneficial. Yan He! Your heart is good, but your actions are like a mantis pawning a cart. You should be on guard! Be careful!

Chinese PinYin : táng bì dǎng chē