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鱼与熊掌

yú yǔ xióng zhǎng

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Definitions

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