蟷螂の斧

Japanese

FWOTD – 10 December 2022

Alternative forms

Kanji in this term
蟷	螂	斧
とう Hyōgaiji	ろう Hyōgaiji	おの Jinmeiyō
on’yomi		kun’yomi

Alternative spelling
蟷螂之斧

• 蟷螂が斧 (tōrō ga ono)

Etymology

Literally “praying mantis’s axe”, alluding to a parable in Zhuangzi about a praying mantis attempting to stop an emperor’s carriage. See 螳臂當車／螳臂当车 (tángbìdāngchē) for details.

Noun

蟷(とう)螂(ろう)の斧(おの) • (tōrō no ono) 

1. a reckless strike above one’s strength or proper station
   • 1989, Takiguchi Yasuhiko, Tenmokuzan ni sakura chiru, page 25:

     勝(かつ)久(ひさ)公(こう)当(とう)国(こく)へ入(はい)らせたまい、諸(もろ)人(びと)みなお味(み)方(かた)にはせ参(さん)ずるとき、三(さん)百(びゃく)の兵(つわもの)にて手(て)向(む)かい申(もう)すこと蟷(とう)螂(ろう)の斧(おの)も同(どう)様(よう)

     Katsuhisa Kō tōkoku e hairase-tamai, morobito mina o-mikata ni hasesanzuru toki, sanbyaku no tsuwamono nite temukai mōsu koto tōrō no ono mo dōyō

     Katsuhisa shall not enter this country, even if all his supporters charge at once, against three hundred soldiers he is just kicking against the pricks.

2. a brave individual who faces stronger enemies

See also

• 蟷螂(かまきり) (kamakiri, “mantis”)

References

• Matsumura, Akira (1995) 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
• “蟷螂の斧”, in 精選版 日本国語大辞典 [Selected edition: Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), Shogakukan, 2005