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临渊羡鱼，不如退而结网

lín yuān xiàn yú , bù rú tuì ér jié wǎngdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
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
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-76db797d95c61fde. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

臨淵羨魚，不如退而結網 临渊羡鱼，不如退而结网 [lin2 yuan1 xian4 yu2 , bu4 ru2 tui4 er2 jie2 wang3] /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/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

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

Character information

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

Other forms in these source records: 臨淵羨魚，不如退而結網

  • 临
    lín

    to face / to overlook / to arrive / to be (just) about to / just before

  • 渊
    yuān

    deep pool / deep / profound

  • 羡
    xiàn

    to envy

  • 鱼
    yú

    fish (CL:條|条[tiáo],尾[wěi]) / used in the names of various aquatic animals that are not fish (including abalone 鮑魚|鲍鱼[bào yú], alligators and crocodiles 鱷魚|鳄鱼[è yú] and octopi 章魚|章鱼[zhāng yú])

    Yú

    surname Yu

  • 不
    bù

    no / not so / (bound form) not / un-

  • 如
    rú

    as / as if / such as

  • 退
    tuì

    to retreat / to withdraw / to reject / to return (sth) / to decline

  • 而
    ér

    and / as well as / and so / but (not) / yet (not) / (indicates causal relation) / (indicates change of state) / (indicates contrast)

  • 结
    jiē

    (of a plant) to produce (fruit or seeds) / Taiwan pr. [jié]

    jié

    knot / sturdy / bond / to tie / to bind / to check out (of a hotel)

  • 网
    wǎng

    net / web / network / to net / to catch with a net

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.