profiting while others fight; fisherman's profit
Idiomatic expression derived from a Chinese fable; refers to gaining an advantage from a conflict between others without effort. Often used in the phrase 漁夫の利を得る.
While the rival companies fought, a third company profited from their conflict.
He silently watched the two argue, but in the end he reaped the benefits of their dispute.
Means 'fisherman'; the idiom uses this word metaphorically, but 漁夫 alone does not carry the idiomatic meaning.
Common verb phrase using the idiom; literally 'to obtain the fisherman's profit'.
Standard kanji form; the most common spelling.
Rare kanji form using 父 instead of 夫; it is rarely used.
From a Chinese fable in which a snipe and a clam fight, allowing a fisherman to catch both. The expression is used metaphorically for a third party benefiting from others' conflict.