鱼与熊掌 (魚與熊掌)
yú yǔ xióng zhǎng
Pinyin

Definition

鱼与熊掌 (魚與熊掌)
 - 
yú yǔ xióng zhǎng
  1. 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
  2. you can't always get everything you want
  3. you can't have your cake and eat it

Character Decomposition

Related Words (20)

掌
zhǎng
  1. 1 palm of the hand
  2. 2 sole of the foot
  3. 3 paw
  4. 4 horseshoe
  5. 5 to slap
  6. 6 to hold in one's hand
  7. 7 to wield
掌控
zhǎng kòng
  1. 1 to control
  2. 2 in control of
熊
Xióng
  1. 1 surname Xiong
熊猫
xióng māo
  1. 1 panda
  2. 2 classifier: 只 zhī
仙人掌
xiān rén zhǎng
  1. 1 cactus

Idioms (8)

了如指掌
liǎo rú zhǐ zhǎng
  1. 1 to know sth like the back of one's hand (idiom)
  2. 2 to know (a person, a place etc) inside out
吃熊心豹子胆
chī xióng xīn bào zi dǎn
  1. 1 to eat bear heart and leopard gall (idiom)
  2. 2 to pluck up some courage
掌上明珠
zhǎng shàng míng zhū
  1. 1 lit. a pearl in the palm (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. beloved person (esp. daughter)
掌声雷动
zhǎng shēng léi dòng
  1. 1 thunderous applause (idiom)
摩拳擦掌
mó quán cā zhǎng
  1. 1 fig. to rub one's fists and wipe one's palms (idiom)
  2. 2 to roll up one's sleeves for battle
  3. 3 eager to get into action or start on a task

Sample Sentences

你又想减肥，又想吃甜食，鱼与熊掌不可兼得，只能选一个。
nǐ yòu xiǎng jiǎnféi ，yòu xiǎng chī tiánshí ，yúyǔxióngzhǎngbùkějiāndé ，zhǐnéng xuǎn yī ge 。
You want to lose weight and also want to eat dessert. You can't have it both ways. You can only choose one.  
Go to Lesson 
又想要大房子，又想要附近的交通方便。鱼与熊掌不可兼得，只能选择一个。所以想住大房子，就得住郊区。住小房子，就可以住在市区，但是就比较贵。
yòu xiǎngyào dà fángzi ，yòu xiǎngyào fùjìn de jiāotōng fāngbiàn 。yúyǔxióngzhǎngbùkějiāndé ，zhǐnéng xuǎnzé yī ge 。suǒyǐ xiǎng zhù dà fángzi ，jiù děi zhù jiāoqū 。zhù xiǎo fángzi ，jiù kěyǐ zhù zài shìqū ，dànshì jiù bǐjiào guì 。
You want a big house and also convenient transportation. You cannot have it both ways. You can only choose one. So if you want a big house,  you have to live in the suburbs. If you choose a small one, you can live downtown, but it’s more expensive.
Go to Lesson