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
鱼
=
⺈
+
田
+
一
:
Yu the Great set up a small rice field just inside the entrance of the space station, and there are some fish swimming in the rice field. The space station's crane spotted them and wants to snap one out of the rice field, but just as he was about to snatch one of them, Yu the Great hit him with a flute.
与
=
马
:
This one looks like 马 with eyes closed, so let's use a sleepy horse as symbol. To distinguish it let's say it's a sleepy black horse.
与
=
马
:
The space station has to be evacuated! Together with the unicorn, Yu the Great tries to wake up the sleepy black horse, but it sleeps really tight.
bear / (coll.) to scold / to rebuke / (coll.) weak / incapable
熊
=
灬
+
能
:
Xu Xian (xu) conquered engine and to celebrate his victory he sets up a grill (灬) in the kitchen ((e)ng2). He feels like Napoleon and wears a bicorne hat (能) while grilling a whole bear (熊).
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
palm of the hand / sole of the foot / paw / horseshoe / to slap / to hold in one's hand / to wield
掌
=
尚
+
手
:
Inside the anglepod (ang3), James II of England (zh) and the Buddhist monk (尚) play catch using two baseball gloves (手) and a horseshoe (掌).
不
=
丆
+
卜
:
Bruno Bear (bu) is setting up a wind wheel (丆) with a voodoo staff (卜) in the space station's bathroom (Ø4). He also puts a "forbidden" sign (mnemonic symbol for 不) on it, to make clear that it may not (不) be stopped.
can / may / able to / to approve / to permit / to suit / (particle used for emphasis) certainly / very
可
=
丁
+
口
:
Karl Marx (k) is challenging his abilities (可) in the elevator's living room (e3). He tries to force a nail (丁) into a mandarin (口), just by using his head. On top of that he tries to do so one thousand times, in order to create a bed of nails (mnemonic symbol for 可).
可
=
丁
+
口
:
Alternative mnemonic symbol: kebab, from the pronunciation "ke". Karl Marx (k) is preparing a kebab (mnemonic symbol for 可) in the elevator's living room (e3). He also skewers mandarins (口) on the long steel nails (丁) and will only allow (可) his guests to eat the rest of the kebab if they eat their mandarins first.
double / twice / simultaneous / holding two or more (official) posts at the same time
兼
=
秝
+
肀
:
Mnemonic symbol: a double. Joan of Arc (ji) and her stunt double (兼) are eating two bowls of cereals (秝) while the real Joan of Arc signs autographs with her crayon (肀) in front of the anthill (an1).
to obtain / to get / to gain / to catch (a disease) / proper / suitable / proud / contented / to allow / to permit / ready / finished
得
=
㝵
+
彳
:
Don Quixote found a magic lamp and rubs it inside the elevator's kitchen. A genie appears and grants Don Quixote his wish for black sneakers. Unfortunately they are second hand and so smelly that Don Quixote instantly catches a disease.
structural particle: used after a verb (or adjective as main verb), linking it to following phrase indicating effect, degree, possibility etc
得
=
㝵
+
彳
:
Because Don Quixote is so disappointed by the black sneakers he got from the genie from the magic lamp, he kicks both very mad from the rooftop of the elevator.
得
=
㝵
+
彳
:
Because Don Quixote kicked the genie's lamp from the rooftop of the Erechtheion as far as to inside of the Eiffel Tower, the genie demands Don Quixote to apologize. Inside of the Eiffel Tower, Don Quixote kowtows to the genie, who takes back the black sneakers he gave to Don Quixote earlier.
Words with 魚與熊掌不可兼得
魚與熊掌不可兼得
is not used as a component in another word.
Sentences with 魚與熊掌不可兼得
魚與熊掌不可兼得 currently does not appear in any sentence.