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鱼与熊掌不可兼得

yú yǔ xióng zhǎng bù kě jiān dé

Definitions

  • 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
  • you can't always get everything you want
  • you can't have your cake and eat it