渔人之利 yú rén zhī lì fisherman's gain

Explanation

比喻双方争执不下，两败俱伤，结果让第三者占了便宜。

The metaphor describes a situation in which two parties fight so fiercely that both lose and a third party benefits.

Origin Story

战国时期，赵国和燕国关系紧张，随时可能爆发战争。燕国派出了著名的外交家苏代前往赵国，试图劝说赵王放弃攻打燕国的计划。苏代没有直接劝说，而是向赵王讲述了一个故事：一只河蚌在阳光下晒太阳，一只鹬鸟想要啄食它的肉。河蚌紧紧地闭合起来，夹住了鹬鸟的嘴巴。双方僵持不下，互不相让。这时，一个渔夫路过，轻而易举地将鹬鸟和河蚌一起捉走了。苏代借此告诫赵王，如果赵国和燕国开战，强大的秦国将会像渔夫一样，坐收渔翁之利，最终吞并两国。赵王听后，深思熟虑，最终放弃了攻打燕国的计划。

zhàn guó shí qī, zhào guó hé yān guó guān xì jǐn zhāng, suí shí kě néng bào fā zhàn zhēng. yān guó pāi chū le zhù míng de wài jiāo jiā sū dài qián wǎng zhào guó, shì tú quàn shuō zhào wáng fàng qì gōng dǎ yān guó de jì huà. sū dài méi yǒu zhí jiē quàn shuō, ér shì xiàng zhào wáng jiǎng shù le yī gè gù shì: yī zhī hé bàng zài yáng guāng xià shài tài yáng, yī zhī yù niǎo xiǎng yào zhuó shí tā de ròu. hé bàng jǐn jǐn de bì hé qǐ lái, jiā zhù le yù niǎo de zuǐ ba. shuāng fāng jiāng chí bù xià, hù bù xiāng ràng. zhè shí, yī gè yú fū lù guò, qīng ér yǐ jū de jiāng yù niǎo hé hé bàng yī qǐ zhuō zǒu le. sū dài jiè cǐ gào jiè zhào wáng, rú guǒ zhào guó hé yān guó kāi zhàn, qiáng dà de qín guó jiāng huì xiàng yú fū yī yàng, zuò shōu yú wēng zhī lì, zuì zhōng tūn bìng liǎng guó. zhào wáng tīng hòu, shēn sī shú lǜ, zuì zhōng fàng qì le gōng dǎ yān guó de jì huà.

During the Warring States period, the relationship between the states of Zhao and Yan was tense, and war could break out at any time. Yan sent the famous diplomat Su Dai to Zhao to try to persuade the king of Zhao to abandon his plan to attack Yan. Su Dai did not persuade directly, but told the king of Zhao a story: A clam was sunbathing in the sun when a bird tried to peck at its flesh. The clam closed tightly and trapped the bird's beak. Neither side would give in. At this time, a fisherman passed by and easily caught both the bird and the clam. Su Dai used this to warn the king of Zhao that if Zhao and Yan went to war, the powerful Qin would be like the fisherman, reaping the benefits and eventually swallowing up both countries. After listening, the king of Zhao thought carefully and finally abandoned the plan to attack Yan.

Usage

主要用于比喻双方争执不下，两败俱伤，结果让第三者占了便宜。

zhǔ yào yòng yú bǐ yù shuāng fāng zhēng zhí bù xià, liǎng bài jù shāng, jié guǒ ràng dì sān zhě zhàn le pián yi

The idiom is mainly used to describe a situation in which two parties fight so fiercely that both lose and a third party benefits.

Examples

• 鹬蚌相争，渔翁得利，我们做事要考虑周全，不要让别人占便宜。

  yù bàng xiāng zhēng, yú wēng dé lì, wǒ men zuò shì yào kǎo lǜ zhōu quán, bù yào ràng bié rén zhàn pián yi.

  The dispute between the two parties resulted in an advantage for a third party.

• 这次谈判，双方争执不下，最终让第三方公司从中渔人之利。

  zhè cì tán pán, shuāng fāng zhēng zhí bù xià, zuì zhōng ràng dì sān fāng gōng sī cóng zhōng yú rén zhī lì

  Two parties fought, and the third profited.

Related Idioms

• 渔翁得利

• 鹬蚌相争

Opposite Idioms

• 两全其美

• 双赢