鹬蚌相争，渔翁得利 — “When two parties are engaged in a fierce dispute”

鹬蚌相争，渔翁得利 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “When two parties are engaged in a fierce dispute”. Neither side benefits, and a third party takes advantage of the situation, often to their own profit. Literally, “Snipe and clam contend, fisherman benefits”.

Frequency

鹬蚌相争，渔翁得利 Pronunciation and Pinyin

鹬蚌相争，渔翁得利 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
鹬	yù	17	sandpiper bird
蚌	bàng	10	freshwater mollusk or pearl
相	xiāng	9	mutual or appearance
争	zhēng	6	strive for or compete
，	，	—
渔	yú	11	to fish; exploit
翁	wēng	10	old man or father
得	dé	11	obtain, must, or suitable
利	lì	7	benefit, smooth, sharp, profit

Example Sentence with 鹬蚌相争，渔翁得利

两家公司为了争夺市场份额，互相压低价格，鹬蚌相争，渔翁得利，最终让新的竞争者轻松站稳了脚跟

Two companies, vying for market share, kept lowering their prices against each other. It was a case of the snipe and clam grappling while the fisherman profited, ultimately allowing a new competitor to easily establish a foothold.

Origin and Story of 鹬蚌相争，渔翁得利

During the Warring States period, the State of Zhao planned to attack the State of Yan. The King of Yan sent Su Dai to persuade the King of Zhao to abandon his war plans.

Su Dai told a fable: A snipe (a long-beaked water bird) was pecking at a clam by a river. The clam, in turn, clamped its shell onto the snipe's beak. Neither the snipe nor the clam would give in, both refusing to let go. Eventually, a fisherman came along and easily caught both of them.

Su Dai then explained that if Zhao and Yan went to war, both would be weakened, and a more powerful state, like Qin, would be like the fisherman, easily conquering both. Realizing the wisdom in this, the King of Zhao gave up his plan to attack Yan.