魚與熊掌不可兼得 yú yǔ xióng zhǎng bù kě jiān dé

you can't always get everything you want

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. you can't always get everything you want
  2. 2. you can't have your cake and eat it
  3. 3. lit. the fish and the bear's paw, you can't have both at the same time (idiom, from Mencius); fig. you must choose one or the other

Characters

Character Meaning
魚 yú
fish; surname Yu
與 yǔ
and; together with; to give
熊 xióng HSK 3
bear; (coll.) to scold; to rebuke
掌 zhǎng HSK 5
palm of the hand; to hold in one's hand; to slap
不 bù HSK 1
not; no; (negative prefix)
可 kě HSK 2
can; may; able to
兼 jiān HSK 5
holding two or more (official) posts at the same time
得 dé HSK 2
link verb to result or degree; to get; must