諺語 · a single proverb
鷸蚌相爭
Simplified: 鹬蚌相争
What does 鷸蚌相爭 (yù bàng xiāng zhēng) mean?
鷸蚌相爭 (yù bàng xiāng zhēng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "the snipe and the clam fight each other." In use it means: While two sides fight, a third party walks away with the prize. The fisherman catches both. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Water note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rat.
Literally: "the snipe and the clam fight each other."
The reading
The snipe bites the clam. The clam clamps the snipe. Neither can let go. While they are locked together, the fisherman picks them both up. The moral is not about snipes or clams. It is about the person watching two enemies exhaust each other and collecting the result.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Strategies of the Warring States 戰國策 (燕策)
Sits beside
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 Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rat, Year of the Ox, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 鷸蚌相爭 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 鷸蚌相爭 (yù bàng xiāng zhēng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Strategies of the Warring States 戰國策 (燕策). 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 鷸蚌相爭?
In Mandarin it is yù bàng xiāng zhēng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 鷸蚌相爭 aloud in Mandarin.