Proverb / Kotowaza
毒を以って毒を制す
Use an evil or harmful thing to eliminate or counteract another evil.
Subdue poison by using poison
Quick Answer
Use an evil or harmful thing to eliminate or counteract another evil.
- Literal Image
- Subdue poison by using poison
- How to Use It
- Used when describing strategic decisions to 'fight fire with fire,' such as hiring experts with questionable backgrounds to fix security flaws or using competitive forces to achieve balance.
Meaning
Just as a powerful poison might be used as medicine to treat a severe illness, this expression describes using something harmful, deceptive, or malicious to neutralize a similar threat. It can apply to strategies where one uses a villain to catch a villain or employs a rival's own methods to solve a difficult problem.
Literal Image
Subdue poison by using poison
How to Use It
Used when describing strategic decisions to 'fight fire with fire,' such as hiring experts with questionable backgrounds to fix security flaws or using competitive forces to achieve balance.
Tone
Strategic and objective.
Examples
悪質な業者を取り締まるため、元詐欺師を捜査に協力させた。毒を以って毒を制すだ。
To crack down on malicious businesses, a former fraudster was asked to cooperate with the investigation. It was a case of subduing poison with poison.
ハッカーにセキュリティ対策を依頼するのは、毒を以って毒を制す手法だ。
Requesting a hacker to handle security measures is a 'fighting poison with poison' approach.
毒を以って毒を制す戦略で、強力なライバルをぶつけて市場を安定させた。
With a strategy of subduing poison with poison, powerful rivals were pitted against each other to stabilize the market.
Learning Notes
Key Vocabulary
Uses the classical verb ending 'seisu' and the particle 'motte' (以って), which are typical of literary or advanced Japanese.
毒
どく / doku
poison
以って
もって / motte
by means of; using
制す
せいす / seisu
to subdue; to control
Usage Profile
Usage note: This expression implies that the 'cure' or 'solution' itself has harmful potential, so use it for situations involving risks or morally gray methods.
Misread Risk
Do not use this for purely positive cooperation; it specifically refers to using something 'poisonous' (harmful or evil) to solve a problem.
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Source Note
Where did this entry get its data from? The reference links are listed below. To understand how to read this section, see Data Sources.