# 螳臂當車
## Chinese

| | | praying mantis | arm | to act as; represent; equalto 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; machinevehicle on land; car; machine; to shape with a lathe |
| trad. (螳臂當車) | trad. (螳臂當車) | 螳 | 臂 | 當 | 車 |
| simp. (螳臂当车) | simp. (螳臂当车) | 螳 | 臂 | 当 | 车 |
| alternative forms | alternative forms | 螳臂擋車／螳臂挡车 | 螳臂擋車／螳臂挡车 | 螳臂擋車／螳臂挡车 | 螳臂擋車／螳臂挡车 |
| Literally: “a mantis blocking a vehicle with its arms”. ||||||

### Etymology

From Zhuangzi:
    From: Zhuangzi, circa 3rd – 2nd 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 praying mantis? It angrily stretches out its arms, to block the car tracks, 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 ㄉㄤ ㄔㄜ, ㄊㄤˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄉㄤˇ ㄔㄜ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): tong$^4$ bei$^3$ dong$^2$ geoi$^1$
* Southern Min (Hokkien, 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 ㄉㄤ ㄔㄜ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: tángbìdangche
*** Wade–Giles: tʻang$^2$-pi$^4$-tang$^1$-chʻê$^1$
*** Yale: táng-bì-dāng-chē
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tarngbihdangche
*** Palladius: танбиданчэ (tanbidančɛ)
*** Sinological IPA : /tʰɑŋ³⁵ pi⁵¹ tɑŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɤ⁵⁵/
** (Standard Chinese, variant)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: tángbìdǎngchē
*** Zhuyin: ㄊㄤˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄉㄤˇ ㄔㄜ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: tángbìdǎngche
*** Wade–Giles: tʻang$^2$-pi$^4$-tang$^3$-chʻê$^1$
*** Yale: táng-bì-dǎng-chē
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tarngbihdaangche
*** Palladius: танбиданчэ (tanbidančɛ)
*** Sinological IPA : /tʰɑŋ³⁵ pi⁵¹ tɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤ⁵⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: tong$^4$ bei$^3$ dong$^2$ geoi$^1$
*** Yale: tòhng bei dóng gēui
*** Cantonese Pinyin: tong$^4$ bei$^3$ dong$^2$ goey$^1$
*** Guangdong Romanization: tong$^4$ béi$^3$ dong$^2$ gêu$^1$
*** Sinological IPA : /tʰɔːŋ²¹ pei̯³³ tɔːŋ³⁵ kɵy̯⁵⁵/
* Southern Min
** (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 t͡sʰia⁴⁴/
** (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
** 飘扬，共和国的旗帜‎ (in Chinese), 1989
       Shāo yǒu chángshí de rén dōuhuì kànchū, rúguǒ wǒmen de tiěqí jìxù qiánjìn, zhège tángbìdāngchē de dǎitú, nándào nénggòu zǔdǎng de liǎo ma? [Pinyin]
       Everyone with some common sense can see that if our tanks continued to move forward, how can this ruffian with no knowledge in his ability resist?

#### Synonyms

* 自不量力 (zìbùliànglì)
* 夸父逐日 (kuāfùzhúrì)

#### Descendants

* → Japanese: 蟷螂の斧

#### See also

* (Vietnamese) châu chấu đá xe (literally “a grasshopper kicking a cart”)