知己知彼 — “To know yourself and your adversary”
知己知彼 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to know yourself and your adversary”. To have a thorough understanding of both sides; to be fully aware of one's own strengths and weaknesses as well as those of one's opponent. Literally, “Know yourself, know your enemy”.
知己知彼 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 知zhī
- 己jǐ
- 知zhī
- 彼bǐ
知己知彼 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 知己知彼
Origin and Story of 知己知彼
During the Spring and Autumn period, the military strategist Sun Wu authored 'The Art of War'. He believed that the supreme art of war was to subdue the enemy without fighting, compelling them to surrender intact, while direct military confrontation was a lesser approach.
One must be skilled in using stratagem to conquer without battle, and at the same time, 'know oneself and know the enemy' to ensure victory without defeat. Winning every battle is not the height of skill; the highest wisdom lies in subduing the enemy without any engagement.
Idioms Related to 知己知彼
Synonyms of 知己知彼
Antonyms of 知己知彼
More idioms starting with 知
- zhī知yī一wàn万bì毕Grasp one, comprehend all
- zhī知yī一bù不zhī知shí十know one aspect, not the whole
- zhī知yī一ér而bù不zhī知èr二know one but not two
- zhī知bù不zhà诈yú愚The wise do not deceive the foolish
- zhī知yì义duō多qíng情understanding of loyalty and full of tender feelings
- zhī知zhī之wéi为zhī知zhī之，，bù不zhī知wèi为bù不zhī知know what you know, admit what you don't
- zhī知zhī之fēi非jiān艰，，xíng行zhī之wéi惟jiān艰Knowing is easy, doing is hard
- zhī知zhī之fēi非nàn难，，xíng行zhī之bù不yì易Knowing is easy, doing is hard
- zhī知shū书míng明lǐ理cultured and reasonable
- zhī知shū书zhī知lǐ礼well-educated and well-mannered
- zhī知shū书shí识zì字educated and literate
- zhī知shū书shí识lǐ礼educated and well-mannered
Questions about 知己知彼
- What does 知己知彼 mean?
- 知己知彼 (zhī jǐ zhī bǐ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to know yourself and your adversary”.
- How do you pronounce 知己知彼?
- 知己知彼 is pronounced zhī jǐ zhī bǐ in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 知己知彼 literally mean?
- Literally, 知己知彼 means “Know yourself, know your enemy”. It is used to mean “to know yourself and your adversary”.
- Where does 知己知彼 come from?
- 知己知彼 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 知己知彼?
- 原意是如果对敌我双方的情况都能了解透彻，打起仗来就可以立于不败之地。泛指对双方情况都很了解。