望洋兴叹 in English wang4 yang2 xing1 tan4 Meaning

Meanings

  • literally (word for word) to gaze at the ocean and lament one's inadequacy (idiomatic expression)
  • metaphorically to feel powerless and incompetent (to perform a task)

Simplified Characters

望 洋 兴 叹

Traditional Characters

望 洋 興 嘆

Pinyin

wang4 yang2 xing1 tan4

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

望wang4full moon 洋yang2ocean 兴xing1surname Xing 叹tan4to sigh