"Fighting between snipes and mussels" is an allegorical story told by Su Dai, a counselor during the Warring States Period. At that time, the prince of Zhao was going to attack the state of Yan, and Su told the prince instead of the prince that Zhao and Yan were fighting endlessly, but it was just a struggle between snipes and mussels, which was bound to give the state of Qin "the benefit of fishermen."
Today's fable tells people to be alert to the real enemy in the complicated contradictions and struggles.
This fable is as follows:
A mussel opens its shell and basks in the sun on the beach. A snipe walked by the mussel and stuck out its mouth to peck at it. The mussel quickly closed its two shells and tightly clamped the snipe's mouth. The snipe tried its best, but could not pull out its mouth. Clams can't run away or go back to the river. The mussel and the snipe quarreled. The snipe said in a muffled voice, "If it doesn't rain for a day or two, you can't get back to the river without water, and you will always die!" The mussel also whispered, "If I don't let you go, in a day or two, your mouth won't come out and you don't want to live. You will starve to death! " Mussels and snipes quarrel endlessly, and neither will let the other. At this moment, a fisherman happened to pass by and caught them both together.