鹬蚌相持 — “Sandpiper and clam locked in a standoff”
鹬蚌相持 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “When a sandpiper and a clam grapple, neither giving way, a fisherman takes them both; metaphorically, a standoff between two parties where both suffer, allowing a third party to gain an advantage”. Literally, “Sandpiper and clam locked in a standoff”.
鹬蚌相持 Pronunciation and Pinyin
鹬蚌相持 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 鹬蚌相持
Origin and Story of 鹬蚌相持
During the Warring States period, the State of Zhao was preparing to attack the State of Yan. King Yan dispatched Su Dai to dissuade King Zhao from going to war.
Su Dai told King Zhao a fable: 'A clam opened its shell to bask in the sun on the riverbank. A sandpiper came and tried to peck at its flesh, but the clam quickly snapped its shell shut, trapping the sandpiper's beak. Neither the clam nor the sandpiper would let go, each thinking the other would eventually weaken. After a long standoff, a passing fisherman easily caught both of them.'
Su Dai then warned King Zhao, 'Now, if Zhao and Yan engage in a prolonged war, both sides will be exhausted and weakened. The powerful State of Qin will then be like that fisherman, easily conquering both our states.'
Hearing this, King Zhao realized the wisdom of the story and abandoned his plan to attack Yan.
Idioms Related to 鹬蚌相持
Antonyms of 鹬蚌相持
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wēi危rivals' dispute 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 鹬蚌相持
What does 鹬蚌相持 mean?
鹬蚌相持 (yù bàng xiāng chí) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “When a sandpiper and a clam grapple, neither giving way, a fisherman takes them both; metaphorically, a standoff between two parties where both suffer, allowing a third party to gain an advantage”.
How do you pronounce 鹬蚌相持?
鹬蚌相持 is pronounced yù bàng xiāng chí in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 鹬蚌相持 literally mean?
Literally, 鹬蚌相持 means “Sandpiper and clam locked in a standoff”. It is used to mean “When a sandpiper and a clam grapple, neither giving way, a fisherman takes them both; metaphorically, a standoff between two parties where both suffer, allowing a third party to gain an advantage”.
Where does 鹬蚌相持 come from?
鹬蚌相持 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 鹬蚌相持?
《战国策·燕策二》记载：蚌张开壳晒太阳，鹬去啄它，嘴被蚌壳夹住，两方都不相让。渔翁来后把两个都捉住。比喻双方争执两败俱伤，便宜第三者。