How to Read “Remove a wedge with a wedge”
Kusabi wo motte kusabi wo nuku
Meaning of “Remove a wedge with a wedge”
“Remove a wedge with a wedge” means solving a problem using the same type of method or approach that created it.
When you face a difficult situation, using an approach similar to the problem itself can actually solve it more effectively. This proverb expresses that wisdom.
For example, you might persuade a stubborn person by being equally stubborn yourself. Or you might beat a competitor by fighting on their own terms.
This seems contradictory at first. But when you understand the true nature of a problem and confront it with something of the same quality, you often find the solution.
This thinking still works today in business and relationships. When you understand someone’s logic and respond with the same logic, your argument becomes more persuasive.
The idea of tackling a problem from the inside rather than the outside, using something of the same nature, is timeless wisdom for problem-solving.
Origin and Etymology
This proverb likely comes from ancient Chinese classics. A wedge is a tool driven into gaps between wood or stone to fix them in place or split them apart.
Wedges are made of wood or metal in a triangular shape. Once driven in, they don’t come out easily.
What’s interesting is that the most effective way to remove a wedge is to use another wedge. When you drive a new wedge next to the stuck one, the force loosens the original wedge and makes it easier to remove.
Ancient carpenters and stonemasons actually used this technique in their work.
This practical technique eventually became a metaphor for life wisdom. The idea is that to solve a problem, you should use something with the same nature as the problem itself.
This thinking connects to the expression “fight poison with poison.”
The proverb came to Japan through Chinese classics, though the exact time is unclear. However, documents from the Edo period already show this expression, so it’s been used in Japan for quite a long time.
This proverb shows how practical carpentry wisdom evolved into wisdom about human relationships and problem-solving. It reveals the insight of our ancestors.
Interesting Facts
Wedges were used even in building the pyramids of ancient Egypt. When cutting out massive stones, workers drilled holes and drove in wooden wedges.
They soaked the wedges with water to make them expand and split the stone. When removing wedges, they likely used the technique of employing another wedge as well.
In traditional Japanese wooden architecture, wedges played a crucial role too. In techniques that joined wood without nails, wedges were key tools for fixing components together.
Skilled carpenters could adjust a building’s strength just by how they drove in wedges.
Usage Examples
- Against his stubbornness, I have no choice but to stubbornly stick to my position too—it’s truly “remove a wedge with a wedge”
- To counter our rival company’s strategy, competing with the same methods is most effective—it’s “remove a wedge with a wedge,” as they say
Universal Wisdom
The proverb “Remove a wedge with a wedge” contains a deep truth that humans have discovered about problem-solving. That truth is the importance of understanding the essence of a problem.
When we face difficulties, we often try to solve them with completely different approaches. But this proverb teaches us something else.
When you deeply understand the nature of a problem and use that nature to your advantage, you can find more effective solutions. This connects to Sun Tzu’s teaching: “Know your enemy and know yourself, and you need not fear a hundred battles.”
Looking back at human history, this wisdom has been applied in many situations. In negotiations, you can only persuade others when you understand their logic.
In competition, you can only see countermeasures when you study your opponent’s strengths. Some solutions only become visible when you step inside the problem and stand on the same ground, rather than just viewing it from outside.
This proverb has been passed down for so long because humans instinctively fall into simple thinking: “eliminate what opposes you.”
But true wisdom lies in finding the key to solutions within opposing forces. This is a crystallization of human wisdom that transcends time.
When AI Hears This
When you look at how vaccines work at the molecular level, you see the wedge principle itself. The immune system works by “remembering the shape of enemies.”
But learning with real pathogens can be life-threatening. So we use weakened pathogens—”something with almost the same shape as the real thing but with the danger removed.”
This is exactly the same idea as using a tool with the same shape as the original wedge to remove it.
What’s interesting is that the higher the shape similarity, the higher the effectiveness. The flu vaccine’s effectiveness varies by year depending on the “shape match” between the predicted strain and the actual circulating strain.
A 2017 study showed that even with 97 percent amino acid sequence match, the remaining 3 percent difference could halve the effectiveness. To remove a wedge, you need an almost perfect match in shape.
Even more surprising is allergy immunotherapy. For cedar pollen allergy, doctors deliberately administer tiny amounts of cedar pollen extract continuously for over three years.
This retrains the overreacting immune system to learn “this level isn’t dangerous.” In other words, they use the very wedge causing the problem in a more precisely controlled form repeatedly to ultimately solve the problem.
Here lies a biological truth: only the same thing can counter the same thing.
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches us modern people the importance of having the courage to face problems head-on. When we encounter difficult situations, we tend to take detours or try to avoid the problem.
But real solutions begin with understanding the essence of the problem and standing on the same ground.
When there’s a conflict of opinions at work, don’t ignore the other person’s logic. Instead, deeply understand that logic and discuss within the same framework. This leads to constructive solutions.
Friction in human relationships can also be approached more effectively when you think from the other person’s perspective.
What matters is not viewing the problem as an enemy, but learning its nature and using it. The difficulty you face right now might be solved surprisingly smoothly if you understand its essence and approach it with the same nature.
The key to solutions is hidden within the problem itself. Try applying this ancient wisdom to modern problem-solving.
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