Once, the King of the State of Wu wanted to invade the State of Chu.
The King of Wu warned his ministers: "If anyone should dare to dissuade1 me from invading Chu again, I will put him to death."
One young hanger-on of his wanted to dissuade him but didn't dare. He carried a slingshot, and for three consecutive2 days paced up and down in the King's back garden. The dew wetted his clothes all through.
One day, the King of Wu called him: "The dew has wetted your clothes to such a state. Why should you bear such hardship?"
The young man replied: "There is a cicada on a tree in this garden. The cicada is high above, chirping3 leisurely4 and taking in the dew freely, not knowing that a mantis5 is right behind it. The mantis, pressing its body close in a concealed6 place, is intent on catching7 the cicada, not knowing that a siskin is hiding right behin
