better to go home and weave a net than to stand by the pond longing for fish (idiom); one should take practical steps to achieve one's aim
trad. 臨淵羨魚，不如退而結網
Also written 臨淵羨魚，不如退而結網【lín yuān xiàn yú , bù rú tuì ér jié wǎng】
Characters in this word
10临
Strokes: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0
to face, to overlook, to arrive, to be (just) about to, just before
- Pinyin
- lín
- Traditional
- 臨
- Strokes
- 9
- Frequency
- 2068 of 2500
渊
Strokes: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0
deep pool, deep, profound
- Pinyin
- yuān
- Traditional
- 淵
- Strokes
- 11
羡
Strokes: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0
to envy
- Pinyin
- xiàn
- Traditional
- 羨
- Strokes
- 12
鱼
Strokes: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0
surname Yu
- Pinyin
- Yú
- Traditional
- 魚
- Strokes
- 8
- Frequency
- 1545 of 2500
不
Strokes: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0
no; not so, (bound form) not; un-
- Pinyin
- bù
- Strokes
- 4
- Frequency
- 9 of 2500
如
Strokes: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0
as, as if, such as
- Pinyin
- rú
- Strokes
- 6
- Frequency
- 1252 of 2500
退
Strokes: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0
to retreat; to withdraw, to reject; to return (sth), to decline
- Pinyin
- tuì
- Strokes
- 9
- Frequency
- 3835 of 2500
而
Strokes: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0
and, as well as, and so, but (not), yet (not), (indicates causal relation), (indicates change of state), (indicates contrast)
- Pinyin
- ér
- Strokes
- 6
- Frequency
- 131 of 2500
结
Strokes: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0
(of a plant) to produce (fruit or seeds), Taiwan pr. [jie2]
- Pinyin
- jiē
- Traditional
- 結
- Strokes
- 9
- Frequency
- 9093 of 2500
网
Strokes: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0
net; web, network, to net; to catch with a net
- Pinyin
- wǎng
- Traditional
- 網
- Strokes
- 6
- Frequency
- 8550 of 2500