癞蛤蟆 (lài há ma) — toad
Definition
A rough, warty toad — literally 'mangy toad'. Famous from the idiom 癞蛤蟆想吃天鹅肉 ('a toad wanting to eat swan meat'), meaning someone aiming far above their station.
noun
toad
Measure word · 只
Examples
- 癞蛤蟆。Wǒ kàn dào yì zhī lài há ma zài chí táng biān.I saw a toad by the pond.
- 癞蛤蟆，。lài há ma Cháng dé bù hǎo kàn, dàn chī hài chóng.Toads look ugly, but they eat pests.
- 癞蛤蟆。Tā zhēn shì lài há ma xiǎng chī tiān é ròu.He really is like a toad wanting to eat swan meat (i.e., biting off more than he can chew).
Appears in
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