鷸蚌相爭

lit. sandpiper and clam war together (and the fisherman catches both) (idiom); fig. neighbors who can't agree lose out to a third party

abbr. for 鷸蚌相爭，漁翁得利|鹬蚌相争，渔翁得利[yu4 bang4 xiang1 zheng1 , yu2 weng1 de2 li4]

common snipe / sandpiper

abbr. for Bengbu prefecture-level city 蚌埠市[Beng4 bu4 shi4], Anhui

mussel / clam

each other / one another / mutually / fret on the neck of a pipa 琵琶[pi2 pa5] (a fret on the soundboard is called a 品[pin3])

appearance / portrait / picture / government minister / (physics) phase / (literary) to appraise (esp. by scrutinizing physical features) / to read sb's fortune (by physiognomy, palmistry etc)

to vie against one another / to fight each other / mutual aggression

to strive for / to vie for / to argue or debate / deficient or lacking (dialect) / how or what (literary)

lit. when the snipe and the clam grapple with each other, the fisherman catches them both (idiom) / fig. when two sides are locked in dispute, it's often a third party that benefits

lit. sandpiper and clam war together and the fisherman catches both (idiom); fig. neighbors who can't agree lose out to a third party