蟷とう螂ろうの斧おの

noun

courageous but doomed resistance; a mantis raising its axe

Idiomatic expression derived from a Chinese fable; used to describe a futile, brave stand against overwhelming odds. Often used in literary or rhetorical contexts.

• 彼かれの反はん論ろんは蟷とう螂ろうの斧おのに過すぎなかった。

  His rebuttal was nothing more than a courageous but doomed resistance.