魚與熊掌 yú yǔ xióng zhǎng

you can't have your cake and eat it

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. you can't have your cake and eat it
  2. 2. you can't always get everything you want
  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