a snipe and a clam locked in a fight

a snipe and a clam locked in a fight

Snipe and clam are in danger, a Chinese idiom. The Pinyin is y ù B à ngxi ā NGW ē I, which means that the two sides are at loggerheads and the third party benefits from it. From "for the Eastern Wei Xi Liang Wen.".

The origin of Idioms

Wei Shou of the Northern Qi Dynasty called Liang Wen for the Eastern Wei Dynasty: "snipe and clam are in danger, I take advantage of their disadvantages."

Idiom usage

Used as an object or attribute; used in dealing with affairs. Example Wei Shou of the Northern Qi Dynasty wrote for the Eastern Wei Dynasty: "snipe and clam are in danger, I take advantage of their disadvantages."