expression, noun
collateral damage; getting caught up in another's trouble
Idiomatic expression derived from a classical Chinese story; used when an innocent party suffers harm due to a dispute or disaster that is not their own. Often carries a literary or formal tone.
隣国の戦争が原因で、自国も経済的な池魚の殃を被った。
Because of the war in the neighboring country, our own nation also suffered collateral economic damage.
彼は上司同士の喧嘩に巻き込まれて、まさに池魚の殃だった。
He got caught up in the fight between his bosses; it was truly a case of collateral damage.
Means being implicated or involved in an incident, often unwillingly. 池魚の殃 emphasizes the unfairness and the classical origin.
From a classical Chinese anecdote where a fire in a city gate spread to a nearby pond, killing the fish. The expression metaphorically refers to innocent bystanders suffering from a disaster they did not cause.