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鱼与熊掌不可兼得

yú yǔ xióng zhǎng bù kě jiān dé

8-character word Traditional 魚與熊掌不可兼得

What 鱼与熊掌不可兼得 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 鱼与熊掌不可兼得

• 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
• 不bùno; not so; (bound form) not; un-
• 可kě(prefix) can; may; able to; -able; to approve; to permit; to suit
• 兼jiāndouble; twice; simultaneous
• 得destructural particle: used after a verb (or adjective as main verb), linking it to…

Example sentences

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