Sima Qian recorded: "When two tigers fight, one must be wounded." The phrase "两败俱伤" (both sides lose and both are wounded) became the Chinese idiom for conflicts where neither party wins — where the cost of fighting exceeds any possible gain.
两虎相斗，必有一伤。
两虎相斗，必有一伤。
Reflection & Analysis · 寓意解读
Core Wisdom
The fight that both sides want to win is often the fight that neither side can. The wise avoid battles where victory costs more than defeat.
This idiom is the Chinese equivalent of "Pyrrhic victory" — but broader. It describes not just a victory that costs too much, but a conflict where both parties lose. The two tigers are both wounded; the question is not who wins, but whether either survives.
In business, this describes price wars, patent battles, and competitive escalation that destroys value for everyone. In personal life, it describes arguments where both parties say things they cannot take back.