临渊羡鱼，不如退而结网 in English lin2 yuan1 xian4 yu2 , bu4 ru2 tui4 er2 jie2 wang3 Meaning

Meanings

  • better to go home and weave a net than to stand by the pond longing for fish (idiomatic expression)
  • one should take practical steps to achieve one's aim

Simplified Characters

临 渊 羡 鱼 ， 不 如 退 而 结 网

Traditional Characters

臨 淵 羨 魚 ， 不 如 退 而 結 網

Pinyin

lin2 yuan1 xian4 yu2 , bu4 ru2 tui4 er2 jie2 wang3

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

临lin2to face 渊yuan1deep pool 羡xian4to envy 鱼yu2surname Yu ， 不bu4(negative prefix) 如ru2as 退tui4to retreat 而er2and 结jie2(of a plant) to produce (fruit or seeds) 网wang3net