DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

魚與熊掌

简鱼与熊掌 · 繁魚與熊掌

Mandarin · pinyin yú yǔ xióng zhǎng

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

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Characters in this entry

魚: yú · fish; surname; Kangxi radical 195
與: Look up this written character
熊: xióng · a bear; brilliant; bright; surname
掌: zhǎng · palm of hand, sole of foot, paw
鱼: yú · fish; surname; Kangxi radical 195
与: yǔ · and; with; to; for; give, grant

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Mandarin tones

2–3–2–3 · yu2 yu3 xiong2 zhang3

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