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燕雀焉知鸿鹄之志
yànquèyānzhīhónggǔzhīzhì
Traditional: 燕雀焉知鴻鵠之志
lit. can the sparrow and swallow know the will of the great swan? (idiom); fig. how can we small fry predict the ambitions of the great?
Character Breakdown
燕
yàn
lovebird, swallow
雀
què
sparrow
HSK 6
焉
yān
why? where? how?; strange; thereupon, then
知
zhī
to know, to perceive, to comprehend
HSK 2
鸿
hóng
a species of wild swan; vast
鹄
gǔ
swan
之
zhī
marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; to go to
HSK 4
志
zhì
determination, will; mark, sign; to record, to write
HSK 4
Additional Information
Category
Chinese
HSK Character Level
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HSK Word Level
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