鹬蚌相争,渔翁得利

yù bàng xiāng zhēng , yú wēng dé lì

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

common snipe

bàng

mussel

xiāng

each other

zhēng

to strive for

,

fisherman

wēng

elderly man

to obtain

sharp