Dictionary › 鱼与熊掌

鱼与熊掌

yú yǔ xióng zhǎng

4-character word Traditional 魚與熊掌

What 鱼与熊掌 means

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

The characters in 鱼与熊掌

• 鱼yúfish; used in the names of various aquatic animals that are not fish (including abalone 鲍鱼
• 与yǔ(formal) and; together with (linking parallel nouns, verbs, or phrases); (formal) with…
• 熊xióngbear; (colloquial) to scold; to rebuke; (colloquial) weak; incapable
• 掌zhǎngpalm of the hand; sole of the foot; paw

Example sentences

• 鱼与熊掌不可兼得。
  You cannot eat your cake and keep it.

Words starting with 鱼与熊掌

• 鱼与熊掌不可兼得yú yǔ xióng zhǎng bù kě jiān délit. the fish and the bear's paw, you can't have both at the same time…