How do you pronounce 两虎相争?

两虎相争 is pronounced as "liǎng hǔ xiāng zhēng" in Mandarin Chinese.

两虎相争

Q: What does 两虎相争 mean?

两虎相争 (liǎng hǔ xiāng zhēng) literally means "Two tigers fight" and metaphorically means "Fierce competition between equals". It belongs to the Life Philosophy category of Chinese idioms.

Q: When is 两虎相争 used?

两虎相争 is used when When the two star players fought for team leadership, it damaged team morale and performance.

两虎相争 (liǎng hǔ xiāng zhēng) literally means “two tigers fight” and expresses “fierce competition between equals”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving life philosophy.

Also searched as: liang hu xiang zheng, liang hu xiang zheng,两虎相争 meaning, 两虎相争 in english

Fierce competition between equals

Pronunciation: liǎng hǔ xiāng zhēng Literal meaning: Two tigers fight

Origin & Usage

Bian Zhuangzi meant to kill two tigers that were fighting over an ox, and was told to wait: the big one will be hurt and the small one killed, and he would then take two tigers at the cost of one strike. He waited, and did. The Records of the Grand Historian tells it in an argument about letting two rivals exhaust each other first. The saying is usually completed as 两虎相争，必有一伤 — when two (两) tigers (虎) fight each other (相争), one is certain to be hurt — and it is aimed as often at the watching third party as at the tigers.

Examples

English: "When the two star players fought for team leadership, it damaged team morale and performance"

Chinese: 当两位明星球员争夺队伍领导权时，损害了团队士气和表现

Related Chinese Idioms

Similar idioms about life philosophy

指鹿为马

zhǐ lù wéi mǎ

Deliberately distort truth as power display

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大同小异

dà tóng xiǎo yì

Essentially the same with minor differences

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毛遂自荐

máo suì zì jiàn

Volunteer oneself confidently

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半斤八两

bàn jīn bā liǎng

Essentially the same despite appearances

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一举两得

yī jǔ liǎng dé

Kill two birds with one stone

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骑虎难下

qí hǔ nán xià

Unable to stop dangerous course

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狐假虎威

hú jiǎ hǔ wēi

Borrow authority to intimidate

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三人成虎

sān rén chéng hǔ

Repeated lie becomes truth

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does 两虎相争 mean in English?

两虎相争 (liǎng hǔ xiāng zhēng) literally translates to “Two tigers fight” and is used to express “Fierce competition between equals”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Life Philosophy category.