鹬蚌相争 — “Snipe and clam contend”
鹬蚌相争 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “When two parties contend, a third party often benefits from their struggle; to describe a situation where opposing sides are locked in conflict, allowing an outsider to gain advantage”. Literally, “Snipe and clam contend”.
鹬蚌相争 Pronunciation and Pinyin
鹬蚌相争 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 鹬蚌相争
Origin and Story of 鹬蚌相争
The state of Zhao was preparing to attack the state of Yan. Su Dai went to persuade King Hui of Zhao on behalf of Yan, saying:
"As I came here, passing by the Yi River, I saw a clam emerging from the water to sunbathe. A snipe flew down and pecked at its flesh. The clam immediately closed its shells, clamping the snipe's beak. The snipe said, 'If it doesn't rain today and doesn't rain tomorrow, there will be a dead clam.' The clam retorted, 'If your beak cannot be pulled out today and cannot be pulled out tomorrow, there will be a dead snipe.' Neither was willing to let go of the other.
Soon after, a fisherman came and caught both of them.
Now, Zhao is about to attack Yan. If Yan and Zhao remain locked in a prolonged struggle, the common people will become exhausted and impoverished. I fear that the powerful Qin state will become the fisherman who profits without effort. Therefore, I hope Your Majesty will seriously consider the matter of dispatching troops."
King Hui of Zhao replied, "Very well," and consequently halted the attack on Yan.
Idioms Related to 鹬蚌相争
Synonyms of 鹬蚌相争
More idioms starting with 鹬
- yù鹬bàng蚌chí持zhēng争，，yú渔wēng翁dé得lì利third party profits from others' conflict
- yù鹬bàng蚌xiāng相zhēng争，，zuò坐shōu收yú渔wēng翁zhī之lì利third party profits from a dispute
- yù鹬bàng蚌xiāng相zhēng争，，yú渔rén人huò获lì利disputing parties suffer, third party profits
- yù鹬bàng蚌xiāng相zhēng争，，yú渔wēng翁dé得lì利When two fight, a third profits
- yù鹬bàng蚌xiāng相chí持Standoff benefits a third party
- yù鹬bàng蚌xiāng相chí持，，yú渔rén人dé得lì利Third party profits from two parties' dispute
- yù鹬bàng蚌xiāng相chí持，，yú渔wēng翁dé得lì利Third party profits from two rivals' fight
- yù鹬bàng蚌xiāng相dòu斗third party benefits from two parties fighting
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Open the tool →Questions about 鹬蚌相争
What does 鹬蚌相争 mean?
鹬蚌相争 (yù bàng xiāng zhēng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “When two parties contend, a third party often benefits from their struggle; to describe a situation where opposing sides are locked in conflict, allowing an outsider to gain advantage”.
How do you pronounce 鹬蚌相争?
鹬蚌相争 is pronounced yù bàng xiāng zhēng in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 鹬蚌相争 literally mean?
Literally, 鹬蚌相争 means “Snipe and clam contend”. It is used to mean “When two parties contend, a third party often benefits from their struggle; to describe a situation where opposing sides are locked in conflict, allowing an outsider to gain advantage”.
Where does 鹬蚌相争 come from?
鹬蚌相争 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 鹬蚌相争?
“鹬蚌相争，渔翁得利”的省语。比喻双方相持不下，而使第三者从中得利。