求之不得

lit. seek but fail to get (idiom); fig. exactly what one’s been looking for

Characters and words in 求之不得

to seek / to look for / to request / to demand / to beseech

= : Mnemonic symbol: a service request bell. You know, the kind you find in a hotel on a service counter.

= : In the outhouse's kitchen, the Queen of Hearts sees a diamond ring and wants to have it immediately. Determined she rings the service bell endlessly to request the immediate handover.
(possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de5]) / him / her / it

= + Z : Mnemonic symbol: Sooo sleepy... "zZz" (the character looks like a "Z"). James II of England (zh) fell asleep in front of the space station (Ø1). He sleeps on a big petal leaf (丶), making loud "zZz" (之) sounds.
no; not so / (bound form) not; un-

= + : 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.
must not / may not / not to be allowed / cannot
to obtain / to get / to gain / to catch (a disease) / proper / suitable / proud / contented / to allow / to permit / ready / finished

= + : 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.
de = d + e5
structural particle: used after a verb (or adjective as main verb), linking it to following phrase indicating effect, degree, possibility etc

= + : 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.
to have to / must / ought to / to need to

= + : 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 求之不得

求之不得 is not used as a component in another word.

Sentences with 求之不得

求之不得 currently does not appear in any sentence.