also: いっぽう
snipe and clam; snipe and mussel
Literary term from the Chinese fable 'The Snipe and the Clam'; used almost exclusively in the set phrase 鷸蚌の争い (the quarrel of the snipe and the clam), meaning a dispute where both sides lose to a third party.
See also: 鷸蚌の争い
The proverb 'the quarrel of the snipe and the clam' warns that while two parties fight, a third may profit.
Rare kanji compound from a classical Chinese fable; the reading いっぽう is also recorded.
Alternate reading of the same kanji compound.
From the classical Chinese fable 'The Snipe and the Clam' (鹬蚌相争), where a snipe and a clam become locked in a struggle, allowing a fisherman to catch both. The Japanese reading いつぼう (or いっぽう) is the on'yomi of the characters.