How to Read “Two sharks cannot live in one abyss”
Ichien ni wa ryōkō narazu
Meaning of “Two sharks cannot live in one abyss”
“Two sharks cannot live in one abyss” means that two sharks cannot inhabit the same deep pool. It expresses how powerful people or authority figures cannot coexist in the same place.
This proverb points out a reality in organizations and groups. When two equally powerful people exist together, conflict and confrontation inevitably arise.
Both possess strength that refuses to yield. They cannot avoid fighting over limited resources and positions.
This saying applies to several situations. Companies or organizations where two equally capable leaders stand side by side. Communities where multiple influential people compete for power.
It also explains why clear hierarchy is necessary when deciding organizational leadership.
Even today, conflicts between equally powerful people cause organizational chaos. This happens frequently in corporate management and politics.
This proverb teaches us important lessons. It shows why unified leadership matters. It reveals the problems that come from divided power.
The saying uses nature’s principles to convey these truths.
Origin and Etymology
No clear written records document the origin of this proverb. However, we can make interesting observations from how the words are structured.
“Fuchi” (abyss) refers to deep, quiet places in rivers or oceans. People have long known these as places where large fish hide.
“Same” (shark) symbolizes the ocean’s strongest creature, the apex predator. The proverb likely arose from observing that two sharks cannot simultaneously live in one limited abyss.
The natural world confirms this observation. Powerful predators maintain territories. They keep distance from other strong members of their species.
If they fought over limited resources, one or both would get hurt. They might even destroy each other.
This proverb overlays this natural principle onto human power structures.
Traditional Japanese society had clear hierarchies and power structures. This included samurai families and merchant houses.
People understood from experience how difficult it was for multiple powerful people to coexist in one organization or region.
This social experience connected observations of nature with human reality. The proverb was born from this connection and has been passed down through generations.
Usage Examples
- The new president and chairman are fighting, throwing the company into chaos. This is truly “Two sharks cannot live in one abyss.”
- We placed two excellent leader candidates in that department, and they clashed. I guess “Two sharks cannot live in one abyss.”
Universal Wisdom
The universal truth in “Two sharks cannot live in one abyss” is the fundamental difficulty when powerful people occupy the same space. This isn’t simply about power struggles.
It shows the unavoidable tension created by human dignity and the desire for self-realization.
A strong person is someone who has carved their own path through personal judgment and will. Such people find value in leading rather than following others.
When two strong people meet, a fundamental question inevitably arises: “Who decides?” This isn’t about power-hunger. It concerns the meaning of one’s existence.
This proverb has been passed down because this pattern repeats throughout human society. Within families, among friends, inside organizations—relationships between equally powerful people require special consideration.
However, this isn’t a pessimistic teaching. Rather, it asks how we can coexist while acknowledging human strength and pride.
The teaching that strong people should have separate abysses shows the importance of finding places where each can maximize their abilities.
Perhaps a true strong person is someone who can identify their proper place.
When AI Hears This
The observation that two sharks cannot live in one pool perfectly describes ecology’s competitive exclusion principle. In 1934, Gause conducted an experiment raising two species of paramecia that ate the same food in the same container.
The results were clear. One species always went extinct. Coexistence never occurred once.
The core of this law is “complete niche overlap.” A niche means how an organism uses resources—its way of living.
For example, birds eating the same nuts can coexist if they use different branch heights. But if two species eat nuts of the same size, at the same height, at the same time, tiny efficiency differences accumulate.
The species that obtains 0.1 percent more food increases its population with each generation. Eventually, it drives out the other.
This proverb is sharp because it recognizes the nature of power as a resource. Power cannot be divided by height like nuts on a tree.
There is only one top position, and it completely overlaps. When two capable people in the same organization aim for the same position, cooperation becomes unstable.
Small conflicts amplify. One person must eventually leave.
Gause’s laboratory and human society differ in scale, but their mathematical structure is identical. In competition over limited resources, perfect equilibrium is impossible.
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches modern people the importance of identifying their position. When you gain power and develop real ability, your choices become more important than ever.
Where you work, with whom, and how—these decisions matter greatly.
Having an equally capable person in the same place isn’t necessarily bad. However, whether it’s sustainable is a different question.
Is this a relationship that elevates each other, or one that exhausts both? You need clear eyes to judge.
If you feel tension with someone of equal power in your organization, that might be natural. Rather than forcing yourself to stay in the same place, you have the option of finding where each person can shine.
If you’re in a position to build teams, this proverb teaches the importance of clarifying roles and responsibilities. True leadership isn’t just gathering talented people.
It’s creating a structure where each person can demonstrate their abilities.
Strength means knowing your place and exerting maximum power there. Find the abyss where you can shine as yourself.
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