两虎相争 — “Two tigers contend”
两虎相争 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a fierce struggle between two powerful rivals, often resulting in mutual damage or loss, which can be exploited by a third party; a situation where two powerful entities contend, leading to both sides suffering”. Literally, “Two tigers contend”.
两虎相争 Pronunciation and Pinyin
两虎相争 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 两虎相争
Origin and Story of 两虎相争
During the Warring States period, the states of Han and Wei had been at war for over a year without a decisive victory for either side. King Hui of Qin considered sending troops to intervene. Chen Zhen, an envoy from the state of Chu, advised King Hui.
He recounted the story of Bian Zhuangzi, a brave warrior. Bian Zhuangzi knew that if two tigers fought, one would surely be injured. He waited until the two tigers had fought each other to the point of exhaustion and mutual injury, then easily killed both of them.
Chen Zhen used this tale to persuade King Hui of Qin to adopt a strategy of "sitting on the mountain and watching the tigers fight." He suggested that Qin should wait patiently for Han and Wei to weaken each other through their prolonged conflict, and then seize the opportune moment to conquer both states, thus avoiding unnecessary losses for Qin.
Idioms Related to 两虎相争
Synonyms of 两虎相争
More idioms starting with 两
- liǎng两shì世wéi为rén人to feel reborn after surviving danger
- liǎng两liǎng两sān三sān三in small groups
- liǎng两quán全qí其měi美satisfy both sides
- liǎng两xiāng厢qíng情yuàn愿both parties willing
- liǎng两yè叶yǎn掩mù目deluded by trivialities
- liǎng两guó国jiāo交bīng兵，，bù不zhǎn斩lái来shǐ使Do not harm messengers in war
- liǎng两guó国xiāng相zhàn战，，bù不zhǎn斩lái来shǐ使Do not harm envoys even in war
- liǎng两tóu头sān三xù绪conflicting thoughts and worries
- liǎng两tóu头sān三miàn面two-faced and inconsistent
- liǎng两tóu头hé和fān番stir up trouble between two parties
- liǎng两tóu头dān担xīn心worried about both ends
- liǎng两tóu头bái白miàn面Deceive both parties to gain favor
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Open the tool →Questions about 两虎相争
What does 两虎相争 mean?
两虎相争 (liǎng hǔ xiāng zhēng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a fierce struggle between two powerful rivals, often resulting in mutual damage or loss, which can be exploited by a third party; a situation where two powerful entities contend, leading to both sides suffering”.
How do you pronounce 两虎相争?
两虎相争 is pronounced liǎng hǔ xiāng zhēng in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 两虎相争 literally mean?
Literally, 两虎相争 means “Two tigers contend”. It is used to mean “a fierce struggle between two powerful rivals, often resulting in mutual damage or loss, which can be exploited by a third party; a situation where two powerful entities contend, leading to both sides suffering”.
Where does 两虎相争 come from?
两虎相争 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 两虎相争?
两只老虎相互争斗。比喻力量强大的双方相搏斗。