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鱼与熊掌
鱼与熊掌
鱼与熊掌
鱼与熊掌
鱼与熊掌
鱼与熊掌
鱼与熊掌
鱼与熊掌

鱼与熊掌 — “Two desirable things that cannot be had at the same time”

鱼与熊掌 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Two desirable things that cannot be had at the same time”. Difficult to choose between two equally attractive options. Literally, “Fish and bear's paw”.

Frequency

鱼与熊掌 Pronunciation and Pinyin

鱼与熊掌 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
鱼
yú8aquatic vertebrate with gills and fins
与
yǔ3and; with; to give
熊
xióng14bear
掌
zhǎng12palm, in charge, slap

Example Sentence with 鱼与熊掌

升职和陪伴家人,对于他来说是鱼与熊掌,难以抉择
For him, promotion and spending time with family are like fish and bear's paw, difficult to choose between.

Idioms Related to 鱼与熊掌

More idioms starting with 鱼

  • yú鱼shū书yàn雁xìn信letters and correspondence
  • yú鱼shū书yàn雁tiě帖letters and correspondence
  • yú鱼shū书yàn雁bó帛Letters or correspondence
  • yú鱼chuán传chǐ尺sù素send a love letter
  • yú鱼shēng升lóng龙mén门Achieve great success or rise to high position
  • yú鱼xiàn县niǎo鸟cuàn窜precarious and vulnerable situation
  • yú鱼dà大shuǐ水xiǎo小too many demands for too few resources
  • yú鱼fēng封yàn雁tiē帖letters and correspondence
  • yú鱼wěi尾yàn雁xíng行military or naval V-formation
  • yú鱼bó帛hú狐shēng声Fabricate omens to manipulate public opinion
  • yú鱼bó帛hú狐gōu篝Fabricate omens to manipulate public opinion
  • yú鱼jīng惊niǎo鸟sàn散scatter in disarray

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Questions about 鱼与熊掌

What does 鱼与熊掌 mean?

鱼与熊掌 (yú yǔ xióng zhǎng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Two desirable things that cannot be had at the same time”.

How do you pronounce 鱼与熊掌?

鱼与熊掌 is pronounced yú yǔ xióng zhǎng in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 鱼与熊掌 literally mean?

Literally, 鱼与熊掌 means “Fish and bear's paw”. It is used to mean “Two desirable things that cannot be had at the same time”.

What is the Chinese definition of 鱼与熊掌?

比喻俱为所欲,难于取舍之物。

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