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魚與熊掌不可兼得. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
魚與熊掌不可兼得, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
魚與熊掌不可兼得 in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
魚與熊掌不可兼得 you have here. The definition of the word
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魚與熊掌不可兼得, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Chinese
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fish
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and; to give; together with and; to give; together with; take part in; (interrog. part.) |
bear's paw
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cannot; should not; must not
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double; twice; simultaneous double; twice; simultaneous; holding two or more (official) posts at the same time |
get; obtain; gain get; obtain; gain; proper; suitable; proud; contented; allow; permit; ready; finished; a sentence particle used after a verb to show effect; degree or possibility; to have to; must; ought to; to need to |
| trad. (魚與熊掌不可兼得)
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魚
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與
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熊掌
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不可
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兼
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得
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| simp. (鱼与熊掌不可兼得)
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鱼
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与
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熊掌
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不可
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兼
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得
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| Literally: “One cannot get fish and bear's paw at the same time.”
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Etymology
From Mencius:
孟子曰：「魚，我所欲也；熊掌，亦我所欲也，二者不可得兼，舍魚而取熊掌者也。生，亦我所欲也；義，亦我所欲也，二者不可得兼，舍生而取義者也。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
孟子曰：「鱼，我所欲也；熊掌，亦我所欲也，二者不可得兼，舍鱼而取熊掌者也。生，亦我所欲也；义，亦我所欲也，二者不可得兼，舍生而取义者也。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]- From: Mencius, c. 4th century BCE
- Mèngzǐ yuē: “Yú, wǒ suǒ yù yě; xióngzhǎng, yì wǒ suǒ yù yě, èr zhě bùkě dé jiān, shě yú ér qǔ xióngzhǎng zhě yě. Shēng, yì wǒ suǒ yù yě; yì, yì wǒ suǒ yù yě, èr zhě bùkě dé jiān, shě shēng ér qǔ yì zhě yě.”
- Mencius said, 'I like fish, and I also like bear's paws. If I cannot have the two together, I will let the fish go, and take the bear's paws. So, I like life, and I also like righteousness. If I cannot keep the two together, I will let life go, and choose righteousness.'
Pronunciation
Proverb
魚與熊掌不可兼得
- One can't have one's cake and eat it, too.
See also
- 捨生取義／舍生取义 (shěshēngqǔyì): Another idiom derived from the same paragraph in Mencius.