Dictionary › 脚踏两条船

脚踏两条船

jiǎo tà liǎng tiáo chuán

5-character word Traditional 腳踏兩條船

What 脚踏两条船 means

1. lit. to stand with each foot in a different boat (idiom)
2. fig. to have it both ways
3. to run after two hares
4. (especially) to have two lovers at the same time

The characters in 脚踏两条船

• 脚jiǎofoot; leg (of an animal or an object); base (of an object)
• 踏tàto tread; to stamp; to step on
• 两liǎngtwo; both; some
• 条tiáostrip; item; article
• 船chuánboat; vessel; ship

Example sentences

• 脚踏两条船，必定落空。
  Jiǎotàliǎngtiáochuán, bìdìng làokōng.
  If you run after two hares, you will catch neither.