English Original
A mantis grew extraordinarily stout and robust. As he walked around the backyard, brandishing his powerful forelimbs, he could easily catch smaller insects like locusts and crickets. Being stronger and more successful than others, he felt he should be the leader of his kingdom.
One day, his authority was challenged by another strong mantis. After a fierce fight, the mantis defeated his challenger, who fled outside the backyard and disappeared. The victor, unable to find the loser, vented his anger by killing two locusts and three crickets, terrifying the other insects into fleeing.
Intoxicated by victory, the mantis stood alone on the road, believing himself to be the most indomitable creature in the world. Soon, he heard a strange sound in the distance: a man pushing a one-wheeled wooden cart toward him.
Having never seen such a thing, the mantis stood his ground, brandishing his forelimbs, convinced he could frighten away this unknown monster just as he had defeated his challenger.
A moment later, the cart's wheel rolled over the poor, self-important mantis, crushing him without the driver even noticing.
In our society, there are many such 'mantises.' They consider themselves superior to others and overestimate their abilities because they have never encountered a "wooden cart."
A Chinese proverb says, "If you think you are the strongest, there is always someone stronger than you; if you think your world is the largest, there is always a world larger than yours."
中文翻译
一只螳螂长得异常结实强壮。当它在后院挥舞着有力的前肢走动时,能轻易捕捉到蝗虫、蟋蟀等小昆虫。由于比其他螳螂更强壮,捕获的猎物也更多,它觉得自己理应成为这个王国的领袖。
一天,它的权威受到了另一只强壮螳螂的挑战。一番苦战后,它击败了挑战者,对方逃向后院外的道路并迅速消失了。胜利者追到路上,却找不到失败者。它将怒火发泄在小昆虫身上,接连杀死了两只蝗虫和三只蟋蟀。所有其他小昆虫都惊恐万分,立刻逃得无影无踪。
嗜血的螳螂独自勇敢地站在路上。胜利的喜悦让它沉醉,以为自己可能是世界上最不可战胜的生物。很快,它听到远处传来一阵奇怪的声音:原来是一个男人推着一辆独轮木车正朝它这个方向走来。
螳螂从未见过木车。它站在路上,挥舞着两把有力的大“锯子”,毫不退缩。它真的相信自己能吓跑这个未知的怪物,就像它击败挑战者一样。
又过了一分钟,木车的轮子碾过了那只可怜、自负又无知的螳螂,把它压得粉碎,而推车人甚至毫无察觉。
在我们的社会中,也存在许多这样的“螳螂”。他们认为自己比别人更优越,高估了自己的能力,只是因为他们从未见过“木车”。
中国有句谚语说:“山外有山,人外有人。”