黄雀在后 — “To have a lurking danger or rival”

Q: What is the Chinese definition of 黄雀在后?

比喻伺机从后面袭击，也比喻有后顾之忧。

黄雀在后 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to have a lurking danger or rival”. To be unaware of a greater threat approaching from behind while preoccupied with an immediate target or gain; to be vulnerable to someone else taking advantage of your struggle. Literally, “the oriole is behind”.

Frequency

黄雀在后 Pronunciation and Pinyin

黄雀在后 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
黄	huáng	11	yellow color
雀	què	11	sparrow or small bird
在	zài	6	to be at or in
后	hòu	6	after, behind, empress

Example Sentence with 黄雀在后

两支队伍在激烈的比赛中互相消耗，却没注意到另一个强大的竞争者正在积蓄力量，准备在最后关头发起冲击，这真是黄雀在后

Two teams were fiercely competing, exhausting each other, but they didn't notice another strong contender accumulating strength, ready to make a final push at the last moment. This was truly a case of "the oriole behind."

Origin and Story of 黄雀在后

During the Spring and Autumn period, King Shou Meng of the State of Wu intended to attack the State of Chu and forbade his ministers from expressing any opposing views.

A minister's son, hearing this, went to the royal garden with a slingshot to watch birds. The King asked him what he was doing.

The son replied that he was observing a praying mantis catching a cicada on a tree, completely unaware that a yellow oriole was waiting behind it, poised to eat the mantis.

The King realized that his own situation was similar to that of the mantis, focused on his immediate target but vulnerable to a greater threat, and subsequently called off his plan.