諺語 · a single proverb
兩虎相爭
Simplified: 两虎相争
What does 兩虎相爭 (liǎng hǔ xiāng zhēng) mean?
兩虎相爭 (liǎng hǔ xiāng zhēng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "two tigers fighting each other." In use it means: When two powerful forces clash, at least one must be weakened or destroyed; conflict between equals is always costly. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Metal note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Tiger.
Literally: "two tigers fighting each other."
The reading
Two tigers enter the clearing and only one walks out, and that one walks out bleeding. Power meeting equal power does not produce a winner. It produces two damaged parties and one opportunist watching from the ridge. Before you fight someone your own size, check who is on the ridge.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Sima Qian 司馬遷; Strategies of the Warring States allusion
Sits beside
冬至陽生春又來
dōng zhì yáng shēng chūn yòu lái
At the darkest moment of winter, yang energy is reborn and spring begins its return.
夜長夢多
yè cháng mèng duō
Delay leads to complications.
太公釣魚，願者上鉤
tài gōng diào yú yuàn zhě shàng gōu
The best way to attract people is not through trickery but through genuine worth.
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Timing & Fortune's Turning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Tiger, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 兩虎相爭 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 兩虎相爭 (liǎng hǔ xiāng zhēng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Sima Qian 司馬遷; Strategies of the Warring States allusion. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 兩虎相爭?
In Mandarin it is liǎng hǔ xiāng zhēng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 兩虎相爭 aloud in Mandarin.