癞蛤蟆想吃天鹅肉 / 癩蛤蟆想吃天鵝肉

lài​há​ma​xiǎng​chī​tiān'é​ròu

to punch above one's weight

Literally "the toad wants to eat swan meat"; used to describe someone who has goals or desires that are far beyond their reach, especially regarding romance or status.

癞蛤蟆 (literal) → 癞蛤蟆/癩蛤蟆 · lài​há​ma · toad 想 (literal) → 想 · xiǎng · to want 吃 (literal) → 吃 · chī · to eat 天鹅肉 (literal) → 天鹅肉/天鵝肉 · tiān'é​ròu · rare prize

Changed: simplified, traditional, gloss, definition, pinyin, variant pinyin, variants, separable parts, decomposition

created sense May 20, 2026, 07:58 PM