鱼与熊掌

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

Words Containing 鱼与熊掌

• 鱼与熊掌不可兼得 yú yǔ xióng zhǎng bù kě jiān dé: 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

Child Words of 鱼与熊掌

• 熊 xióng: bear
• 与 yǔ: and
• 与 yù: to take part in
• 鱼 yú: fish
• 掌 zhǎng: palm of the hand
• 熊掌 xióng zhǎng: bear paw (as food)