临渊羡鱼,不如退而结网

lín yuān xiàn yú , bù rú tuì ér jié wǎng

better to go home and weave a net than to stand by the pond longing for fish (idiom)

one should take practical steps to achieve one's aim

临

lín

to face

渊

yuān

deep pool

羡

xiàn

to envy

鱼

yú

fish (CL:條|条[tiao2],尾[wei3])

,

,

不

bù

no; not so

如

rú

as

退

tuì

to retreat; to withdraw

而

ér

and

结

jié

knot

网

wǎng

net