There is an elm tree in the garden, and cicadas are on it. Cicada sings and drinks dew, but I don't know mantis is behind! Mantis committed herself to cicada, completely ignoring knowing that yellowbird was around! Yellowbird craned its neck to peck mantis, but didn't know the projectile was under it! All three of them want their former interests regardless of their later interests.

Translation:

There is a cicada in the big tree in the garden. Singing loudly and sucking dew, I didn't know there was a mantis behind me. Mantis wanted to catch cicada, but she didn't know there was a yellowbird beside her. And when the yellowbird wants to peck the mantis, how does it know that my projectile has been aimed at it? All three of them only care about immediate interests and can't see the disaster behind them.

Source: Liu Xiang Shuo Yuan Volume 9 Jian Zheng

Extended data:

As the saying goes, there are advantages and disadvantages. Everything has two sides. Because everything in the world is interrelated and contradictory. For example, conquer and use nature, while destroying the ecological balance of nature; With the reform and opening up, there has been blind westernization.

This fable reveals the truth of personnel: doing a favorable thing often leads to potential unfavorable factors. In an extreme way, this fable emphasizes reminding the world that to do a seemingly beneficial thing, we must fully consider whether there are unfavorable factors, rather than just "seeing the advantages in front and ignoring the disadvantages behind."