棉袄改被窝儿，两头儿苫不过棉襖改被窩兒，兩頭兒苫不過棉襖改被窩兒，兩頭兒苫不過

making a padded jacket into a quilt: can't cover both ends

Saying俗语俗語

Two-part saying歇后语歇後語 · Rarely used now

Meaning: You can't take care of both sides at once; looking after one thing means neglecting the other. Like 'robbing Peter to pay Paul.'

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Simplified: 棉袄改被窝儿，两头儿苫不过
Traditional (Taiwan): 棉襖改被窩兒，兩頭兒苫不過
Pinyin: mián'ǎo gǎi bèiwōr, liǎngtóur shān búguò
Bopomofo: ㄇㄧㄢˊ ㄠˇ ㄍㄞˇ ㄅㄟˋ ㄨㄛㄦ，ㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄊㄡˊㄦㄕㄢㄅㄨˊ ㄍㄨㄛˋ

Written with HSK 4 vocabulary, at CEFR level B1.

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