<p>I think, 好高骛远 means: reach for what is beyond one's grasp</p>

<p>Here is some example translate:</p>

<p>I'm not prone to extravagant fancies.<br>
我是不会好高骛远的。</p>

<p>A high flier may have an impossible hope for the future.<br>
好高骛远的人，也许将来有个难以实现的愿望。</p>

<p>Hew not too high lest the chips fall in thine eye.<br>
伐木时不要砍得太高，否则木屑会跑入你的眼睛。（勿好高骛远，应实事求事。）</p>

<p>People should be down-to-earth, instead of being over-ambitious.<br>
做人应该脚踏实地，不要好高骛远。</p>

<p>Tom has taken five courses this semester, including French. I think he is bitting offchew. 
汤姆这个学期选修了五门课, 还包括法语, 我想他是有些好高骛远了.</p>

<p>====
I think "over-ambitious" will do the trick. Google is kinda right.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-10-30T00:46:02.837Z
2013-10-30T00:46:02.837Z
Marquis Randell
<p>"好" has two pronunciation.</p>

<p>好(hǎo) is an adjective or an adverb, which means "good", "well", "queit" or "very".</p>

<p>好(hào) is a verb, which means "like to do something".</p>

<p>好高 should be read as "hào gāo", so it means "like to be high" literally, similar to "aim high" in English, but in a derogatory way.</p>

<p>====================================================================================</p>

<p>骛(wù) stands for "seek" or "look for".</p>

<p>远 stands for "far away".</p>

<p>鹜远 stands for "seek something far away" ("far away" means that it is impossible, so the unspoken word is that it is stupid to aim so high )</p>

<p>====================================================================================</p>

<p>好高骛远 is a derogatory idiom, which means "ambitious in an arrogant way".</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-31T17:41:28.670Z
@JanusBahsJacquet  The pronunciation `hāo` is regarded as the [懒音](http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%87%92%E9%9F%B3) of `hǎo`. Just like native English speaker may pronounce `different` like `difrent` (omit `e` sound) and pronounce `What's up?` like `Wazzup?`
Victor
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-31T18:38:47.870Z
Do you have any sources to back that up? Productive reduplication normally produces a 懒音 that is a neutral tone, also with 好 (好好先生, for example, is _hǎohaoxiānshēng_, not _hǎohāoxiānshēng_; and 好好端端 is _hǎohaoduānduan_, not _hǎohāoduānduān_). The word 好好(儿) is irregular in this respect, and the fact that it has a _change_ in tone, rather than a reduction, to me speaks quite firmly against it being a 懒音.
Janus Bahs Jacquet
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-01T12:29:40.917Z
@JanusBahsJacquet In fact the 好好儿 should be mark as `hǎo haor` in Pinyin. For example, 桔子, mark as `jú zi` and 椅子 mark as `yǐ zi`, although the former `zi` sound like the weak sound of `zǐ` and the latter `zi` sound like the weak sound of `zī`.
Victor
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-01T12:43:15.690Z
That is exactly why it is not simply a 懒音, because 好好(儿) is **not** _hǎohao(r)_. The reduplication is a clear, distinct first tone in Standard Mandarin, not a neutral tone. Both 子 examples are completely irrelevant, since they are perfectly regular neutral tones, taking over their tonal contour from the preceding tone that they are enclitic to.
Janus Bahs Jacquet
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-01T12:45:27.097Z
@JanusBahsJacquet Do you **really** understand what I just said?
Victor
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-01T12:48:58.277Z
Yes, I do. Did you understand what I said? The second 好 in 好好(儿) does ***not*** have the same tone as the 子 in 椅子. The tones are different. The second 好 in 好好先生 and 好好端端, however, have the same tone as the 子 in 椅子, but different from the second 好 in 好好(儿). The fact that the two 子’s have different surface tonal contours is completely regular and central to tonal enclisis.
Janus Bahs Jacquet
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-01T12:49:51.690Z
@JanusBahsJacquet I wonder whether you are speaking dialect or Mandarin. In Mandarin, It is true that the second 好 in 好好(儿) **does** have the same tone as the 子 in 椅子.
Victor
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-01T12:53:23.497Z
No, it does not. Not in Standard Mandarin, at least. Since Mandarin is one of the few languages that actually promulgate _officially accepted_ pronunciations (rather than just noting the most common ones) of words, it can in Standard Mandarin be said that people who pronounce those two characters the same are in fact pronouncing it ***wrong***. It is probably perfectly correct in their own dialect/regiolect/sociolect, and definitely in their idiolect; but it is not Standard Mandarin, just like people who pronounce 血 as _xuě_ are mispronouncing it according to Standard Mandarin rules.
Janus Bahs Jacquet
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-01T12:59:55.303Z
@JanusBahsJacquet 好好(儿) Beijing dialect: `hǎo hāor`; other northern dialect: `hǎo hao`; southern dialect: `hó hǒ` or `hóu hǒu`; Mandarin: `hǎo hao(r)`.
Victor
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-08T16:21:04.813Z
好 has _three_ pronunciations, not just two: hǎo, hào, and hāo (as in 好好儿 _hǎohāor_).
Janus Bahs Jacquet
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-01T06:51:45.793Z
2015-08-10T14:16:56.787Z
2015-08-10T14:16:56.787Z
Victor
<p>From <a href="http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/3520618.htm" rel="nofollow">Bai Du Zhi Dao</a>:</p>

<p>好高骛远 (Hào gāo wù yuǎn) means: </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>比喻不切实际地追求过高过远的目标 (Bǐyù bù qiè shíjì dì zhuī qiú guò gāo guò yuǎn de
  mùbiāo.) : you unrealistically pursue goals that are too high and far.</p>
</blockquote>

<hr>

<p><strong>To break down the phrase: 好高骛远</strong></p>

<p>好 (Hào- 4th tone = likes/wants), so... 好高 (Hào gāo): likes/wants (things that are) high</p>

<p>骛 (wù): Greedy</p>

<p>远 (yuǎn): Far, Distant (So, 骛远 = over ambitious/over greedy)</p>

<p><strong>To break that guy's response down</strong>:</p>

<p>不切实际 (bù qiè shíjì): Phrase to indicate impracticality of something</p>

<p>地 (dì): usually means "ground"... but here it follows an adverb. For example, 他慢慢地走过去 (he slowly walked over there). So, 慢慢 would be modifying the verb 追求 (zhuī qiú), so you use 地 (dì) between the adverb and the verb。 Like he "impractically pursued x": 他不切实际*<em>地</em>*追求x</p>

<p>追求 (zhuī qiú): to pursue something stubbornly. </p>

<p>过高过远 (guò gāo guò yuǎn): 过 just means "pass over, too much, pass": so 过高 and 过远 just means too high and too far.</p>

<p>目标 (mùbiāo): Goal</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-10-29T20:42:40.910Z
What will people say for the same meaning in English?
Newbie
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-10-29T22:33:32.560Z
tone 4 好 (hào) means like (喜欢)
congusbongus
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-10-29T23:31:34.740Z
@T... "Over ambitious" would be an adequate English meaning. It has the connotation that capability may be lacking.
Claw
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-10-30T13:05:51.610Z
@congusbongus are you saying that my usage above- `好高 (Hào gāo): quite high`- is incorrect?
user3871
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-10-30T13:09:34.437Z
Yes; 好高 would be closer to "likes/wants (things that are) high", where "high" means things like "high status", "high achievement" etc.
congusbongus
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-10-30T13:11:44.370Z
@congusbongus good to know! Thanks! Changed above
user3871
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-10-29T19:59:55.960Z
2013-10-30T13:11:33.887Z
2013-10-30T13:11:33.887Z
user3871
<p>Google translate translates "好高骛远" into ambitious. I was wondering if you agree with that? I don't think ambitious carries the meaning of lacking capability. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-10-30T00:10:48.617Z
["To hitch one's wagon to a star"](http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/Hitch+your+wagon+to+a+star) is a very close idiom in English -- just unfortunately, 好高骛远 is derogatory but this one is not.
Stan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-10-30T01:18:31.670Z
Though this is not necessarily an idiom, "flying too close to the sun" is sometimes said in English and is an allusion to the story of [Icarus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icarus), in which Icarus plummets to his death after ignoring his father's advice not to fly too high. This saying does have negative connotations about over ambition.
Claw
<translation>
What is 好高骛远 in English?
# What is 好高骛远 in English?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-10-29)

Google translate translates "好高骛远" into ambitious. I was wondering if you agree with that? I don't think ambitious carries the meaning of lacking capability.

**Tags:** translation

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: ["To hitch one's wagon to a star"](http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/Hitch+your+wagon+to+a+star) is a very close idiom in English -- just unfortunately, 好高骛远 is derogatory but this one is not.  
> **username_2**: Though this is not necessarily an idiom, "flying too close to the sun" is sometimes said in English and is an allusion to the story of [Icarus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icarus), in which Icarus plummets to his death after ignoring his father's advice not to fly too high. This saying does have negative connotations about over ambition.  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_6 on 2013-10-29. Score: 6 | Accepted answer

From [Bai Du Zhi Dao](http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/3520618.htm):

好高骛远 (Hào gāo wù yuǎn) means:

> 比喻不切实际地追求过高过远的目标 (Bǐyù bù qiè shíjì dì zhuī qiú guò gāo guò yuǎn de
> mùbiāo.) : you unrealistically pursue goals that are too high and far.

---

**To break down the phrase: 好高骛远**

好 (Hào- 4th tone = likes/wants), so... 好高 (Hào gāo): likes/wants (things that are) high

骛 (wù): Greedy

远 (yuǎn): Far, Distant (So, 骛远 = over ambitious/over greedy)

**To break that guy's response down**:

不切实际 (bù qiè shíjì): Phrase to indicate impracticality of something

地 (dì): usually means "ground"... but here it follows an adverb. For example, 他慢慢地走过去 (he slowly walked over there). So, 慢慢 would be modifying the verb 追求 (zhuī qiú), so you use 地 (dì) between the adverb and the verb。 Like he "impractically pursued x": 他不切实际\**地*\*追求x

追求 (zhuī qiú): to pursue something stubbornly.

过高过远 (guò gāo guò yuǎn): 过 just means "pass over, too much, pass": so 过高 and 过远 just means too high and too far.

目标 (mùbiāo): Goal

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: What will people say for the same meaning in English?  
> **username_7**: tone 4 好 (hào) means like (喜欢)  
> **username_2**: @T... "Over ambitious" would be an adequate English meaning. It has the connotation that capability may be lacking.  
> **username_6**: @username_7 are you saying that my usage above- `好高 (Hào gāo): quite high`- is incorrect?  
> **username_7**: Yes; 好高 would be closer to "likes/wants (things that are) high", where "high" means things like "high status", "high achievement" etc.  
> **username_6**: @username_7 good to know! Thanks! Changed above  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2013-10-30. Score: 3

I think, 好高骛远 means: reach for what is beyond one's grasp

Here is some example translate:

I'm not prone to extravagant fancies.  
我是不会好高骛远的。

A high flier may have an impossible hope for the future.  
好高骛远的人，也许将来有个难以实现的愿望。

Hew not too high lest the chips fall in thine eye.  
伐木时不要砍得太高，否则木屑会跑入你的眼睛。（勿好高骛远，应实事求事。）

People should be down-to-earth, instead of being over-ambitious.  
做人应该脚踏实地，不要好高骛远。

Tom has taken five courses this semester, including French. I think he is bitting offchew.
汤姆这个学期选修了五门课, 还包括法语, 我想他是有些好高骛远了.

====
I think "over-ambitious" will do the trick. Google is kinda right.


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2013-12-01. Score: 1

"好" has two pronunciation.

好(hǎo) is an adjective or an adverb, which means "good", "well", "queit" or "very".

好(hào) is a verb, which means "like to do something".

好高 should be read as "hào gāo", so it means "like to be high" literally, similar to "aim high" in English, but in a derogatory way.

====================================================================================

骛(wù) stands for "seek" or "look for".

远 stands for "far away".

鹜远 stands for "seek something far away" ("far away" means that it is impossible, so the unspoken word is that it is stupid to aim so high )

====================================================================================

好高骛远 is a derogatory idiom, which means "ambitious in an arrogant way".

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: 好 has _three_ pronunciations, not just two: hǎo, hào, and hāo (as in 好好儿 _hǎohāor_).  
> **username_4**: @username_5  The pronunciation `hāo` is regarded as the [懒音](http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%87%92%E9%9F%B3) of `hǎo`. Just like native English speaker may pronounce `different` like `difrent` (omit `e` sound) and pronounce `What's up?` like `Wazzup?`  
> **username_5**: Do you have any sources to back that up? Productive reduplication normally produces a 懒音 that is a neutral tone, also with 好 (好好先生, for example, is _hǎohaoxiānshēng_, not _hǎohāoxiānshēng_; and 好好端端 is _hǎohaoduānduan_, not _hǎohāoduānduān_). The word 好好(儿) is irregular in this respect, and the fact that it has a _change_ in tone, rather than a reduction, to me speaks quite firmly against it being a 懒音.  
> **username_4**: @username_5 In fact the 好好儿 should be mark as `hǎo haor` in Pinyin. For example, 桔子, mark as `jú zi` and 椅子 mark as `yǐ zi`, although the former `zi` sound like the weak sound of `zǐ` and the latter `zi` sound like the weak sound of `zī`.  
> **username_5**: That is exactly why it is not simply a 懒音, because 好好(儿) is **not** _hǎohao(r)_. The reduplication is a clear, distinct first tone in Standard Mandarin, not a neutral tone. Both 子 examples are completely irrelevant, since they are perfectly regular neutral tones, taking over their tonal contour from the preceding tone that they are enclitic to.  
> **username_4**: @username_5 Do you **really** understand what I just said?  
> **username_5**: Yes, I do. Did you understand what I said? The second 好 in 好好(儿) does ***not*** have the same tone as the 子 in 椅子. The tones are different. The second 好 in 好好先生 and 好好端端, however, have the same tone as the 子 in 椅子, but different from the second 好 in 好好(儿). The fact that the two 子’s have different surface tonal contours is completely regular and central to tonal enclisis.  
> **username_4**: @username_5 I wonder whether you are speaking dialect or Mandarin. In Mandarin, It is true that the second 好 in 好好(儿) **does** have the same tone as the 子 in 椅子.  
> **username_5**: No, it does not. Not in Standard Mandarin, at least. Since Mandarin is one of the few languages that actually promulgate _officially accepted_ pronunciations (rather than just noting the most common ones) of words, it can in Standard Mandarin be said that people who pronounce those two characters the same are in fact pronouncing it ***wrong***. It is probably perfectly correct in their own dialect/regiolect/sociolect, and definitely in their idiolect; but it is not Standard Mandarin, just like people who pronounce 血 as _xuě_ are mispronouncing it according to Standard Mandarin rules.  
> **username_4**: @username_5 好好(儿) Beijing dialect: `hǎo hāor`; other northern dialect: `hǎo hao`; southern dialect: `hó hǒ` or `hóu hǒu`; Mandarin: `hǎo hao(r)`.  

---

