DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

望洋興嘆

简望洋兴叹 · 繁望洋興嘆

Mandarin · pinyin wàng yáng xīng tàn

(lit.) to gaze at the ocean and lament one's inadequacy (idiom)
(fig.) to feel powerless and incompetent (to perform a task)

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

望: wàng · to look at, look forward; to hope, expect
洋: yáng · ocean, sea; foreign; western
興: xìng · thrive, prosper, flourish
嘆: Look up this written character
兴: xìng · thrive, prosper, flourish
叹: tàn · sigh, admire

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

4–2–1–4 · wang4 yang2 xing1 tan4

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

5character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

望洋興嘆 · find source passages ↗ · 望洋兴叹 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

mong6 joeng4 hing1 taan3

Cantonese word readings for 望洋興嘆. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to lament one's littleness in face of something vast and great; to feel powerless in face of a great task

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack