- 又要马儿好,又要马儿不吃草 yòuyàomǎrhǎoyòuyàomǎrbùchīcǎo you can't have your cake and eat it tooliterally 'you want the horse to be good, but you also want it not to eat grass'; used to describe someone who expects high performance or results without being willing to pay the necessary cost or effort
- 又要马儿跑,又要马儿不吃草 yòuyàomǎrpǎoyòuyàomǎrbùchīcǎo you can't have your cake and eat it tooLiterally "you expect the horse to run but don't want to let it eat grass"; used to describe someone who wants results without being willing to pay the necessary price or provide the necessary resources.
- 既要当婊子又要立牌坊 jìyàodāngbiǎoziyòuyàolìpáifāng to want to have one's cake and eat it tooLiterally "to be a prostitute yet still want a monument erected to one's chastity"; describes someone who does bad things or has selfish intentions but still wants to maintain a good reputation.