魚與熊掌 yú yǔ xióng zhǎng

DEFINITIONS

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

CHARACTERS

魚 yú fish; surname; KangXi radical 195
與 yǔ and; with; to; for; give, grant
熊 xióng a bear; brilliant; bright; surname
掌 zhǎng palm of hand, sole of foot, paw