wàng yáng xīng tàndictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
(lit.) to gaze at the ocean and lament one's inadequacy (idiom) / (fig.) to feel powerless and incompetent (to perform a task)
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-426ce32a70bbbf7b. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

望洋興嘆 望洋兴叹 [wang4 yang2 xing1 tan4] /(lit.) to gaze at the ocean and lament one's inadequacy (idiom)/(fig.) to feel powerless and incompetent (to perform a task)/

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Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

Other forms in these source records: 望洋興嘆

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

望洋兴叹
Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.