鹬蚌相争 in English yu4 bang4 xiang1 zheng1 Meaning

Meanings

  • literally (word for word) sandpiper and clam war together (and the fisherman catches both) (idiomatic expression); metaphorically neighbors who can't agree lose out to a third party

Simplified Characters

鹬 蚌 相 争

Traditional Characters

鷸 蚌 相 爭

Pinyin

yu4 bang4 xiang1 zheng1

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

鹬yu4common snipe 蚌bang4abbr. for Bengbu prefecture-level city 蚌埠市[Beng4 bu4 shi4], Anhui 相xiang1surname Xiang 争zheng1to strive for