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臨淵羨魚

简临渊羡鱼 · 繁臨淵羨魚

Mandarin · pinyin lín yuān xiàn yú

see 臨淵羨魚，不如退而結網 lín yuān xiàn yú, bù rú tuì ér jié wǎng

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Characters in this entry

臨: Look up this written character
淵: Look up this written character
羨: Look up this written character
魚: yú · fish; surname; Kangxi radical 195
临: lín · draw near, approach; descend
渊: yuān · surge up, bubble up, gush forth
羡: xiàn · envy, admire; praise; covet
鱼: yú · fish; surname; Kangxi radical 195

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

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Mandarin tones

2–1–4–2 · lin2 yuan1 xian4 yu2

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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.

臨淵羨魚 · find source passages ↗ · 临渊羡鱼 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

lam4 jyun1 sin6 jyu4

Cantonese word readings for 臨淵羨魚. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

(idiomatic) to wish for something good but take no action to obtain it; irresoluteness

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

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