ProverbWisdom
Portuguese origin
Portuguese originSol na eira e chuva no nabal
Meaning: You want two things that cannot both happen.
Literally: Sun on the threshing floor and rain on the turnip field
Example: “Queres ganhar bem e não trabalhar? Isso é querer sol na eira e chuva no nabal.” — You want to earn well without working? You can't have your cake and eat it too.
Equivalents in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, German, and 2 more languages
English: You can't have your cake and eat it too
French: On ne peut avoir le beurre et l'argent du beurre (literally: You can't have the butter and the money for the butter)
Spanish: No se puede estar en misa y repicando (literally: You can't be at mass and ringing the bells)
Japanese: 二兎を追う者は一兎をも得ず (Nito o ou mono wa itto o mo ezu) (literally: He who chases two rabbits catches neither)
German: Man kann nicht auf zwei Hochzeiten tanzen (literally: You can't dance at two weddings)
Italian: Volere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca (literally: To want the barrel full and the wife drunk)
Chinese: 鱼与熊掌不可兼得 (Yú yǔ xióngzhǎng bù kě jiān dé) (literally: You can't have both the fish and the bear's paw)
Origin: The farmer wants sun on the eira, the threshing floor, to dry his grain, and rain on the nabal, the turnip field, at the same time.
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