魚與熊掌不可兼得
简 鱼与熊掌不可兼得 · 繁 魚與熊掌不可兼得Meanings
- 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
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
- 不
- bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
- 可
- kě · may, can, -able; possibly
- 兼
- jiān · unite, combine; connect; and
- 得
- dé · obtain, get, gain, acquire
- 鱼
- yú · fish; surname; Kangxi radical 195
- 与
- yǔ · and; with; to; for; give, grant
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
2–3–2–3–4–3–1–2 · yu2 yu3 xiong2 zhang3 bu4 ke3 jian1 de2
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
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.
魚與熊掌不可兼得 · find source passages ↗ · 鱼与熊掌不可兼得 · find source passages ↗
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
jyu4 jyu5 hung4 zoeng2 bat1 ho2 gim1 dak1
Cantonese word readings for 魚與熊掌不可兼得. 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.
proverb
- One can't have one's cake and eat it, too.
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
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