生而知之 — “To be born with innate knowledge”
生而知之 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be born with innate knowledge”. To know things without learning, often associated with an idealist philosophical view. Literally, “Born knowing”.
生而知之 Pronunciation and Pinyin
生而知之 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 生而知之
Origin and Story of 生而知之
During the Spring and Autumn period, Confucius, a great thinker, was widely believed by people to be innately intelligent, someone who knew everything about the world from the moment he was born. When his students told him about this belief, Confucius responded that there is no one in the world who is born knowing everything; only through diligent study and research can one understand so many principles and truths.
Idioms Related to 生而知之
More idioms starting with 生
- shēng生shàng上qǐ起xià下Connect preceding to following
- shēng生bù不rú如sǐ死life is worse than death
- shēng生bù不féng逢chǎng场Born at an inopportune time
- shēng生bù不féng逢shí时born at the wrong time
- shēng生bù不féng逢chén辰born at an unlucky time
- shēng生bù不yù遇shí时born at an unfortunate time
- shēng生shì事wēi微miǎo渺precarious and meager livelihood
- shēng生shì事rǎo扰mín民cause trouble and disturb the public
- shēng生yú于yōu忧huàn患ér而sǐ死yú于ān安lè乐Adversity fosters survival, ease leads to ruin
- shēng生yú于yōu忧huàn患，，sǐ死yú于yì逸lè乐adversity spurs survival, ease brings ruin
- shēng生rén人tú涂tàn炭people plunged into extreme misery
- shēng生zhòng众shí食guǎ寡abundant production and sparse consumption
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Open the tool →Questions about 生而知之
What does 生而知之 mean?
生而知之 (shēng ér zhī zhī) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be born with innate knowledge”.
How do you pronounce 生而知之?
生而知之 is pronounced shēng ér zhī zhī in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 生而知之 literally mean?
Literally, 生而知之 means “Born knowing”. It is used to mean “to be born with innate knowledge”.
Where does 生而知之 come from?
生而知之 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 生而知之?
生下来就懂得知识和道理。这是唯心主义者的观点。