燕雀安知鸿鹄之志 yàn què ān zhī hóng hú zhī zhì

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. can the sparrow and swallow know the will of the great swan? (idiom)
  2. fig. how can we small fry predict the ambitions of the great?

CHARACTERS

燕 yàn swallow (bird); comfort, enjoy
雀 què sparrow
安 ān peaceful, tranquil, quiet
知 zhī know, perceive, comprehend
鸿 hóng species of wild swan; vast
鹄 hú target
之 zhī marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; go to
志 zhì purpose, will, determination; annals