CHENGYU
知己知彼(zhī jǐ zhī bǐ)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- formal
- Source:
- 《孙子·谋攻》
MEANING
- Literal
- to know yourself and know the enemy
- Figurative meaning
- to know both sides thoroughly; to be fully informed
ORIGIN STORY
From Sunzi's Art of War: "Know the enemy and know yourself, and in a hundred battles you will never be in peril." The phrase is often completed as 知己知彼，百战不殆.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to know one's enemy and oneself”
EXAMPLES
谈判前要充分了解对方，知己知彼才能成功。Tánpàn qián yào chōngfèn liǎojiě duìfāng, zhī jǐ zhī bǐ cái néng chénggōng.HSK6
Study the other side before negotiating — know both sides and you will succeed.
知己知彼，才能做出正确的决定。Zhī jǐ zhī bǐ, cái néng zuò chū zhèngquè de juédìng.HSK6
Know yourself and your opponent, and you will decide well.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: It is about knowing both yourself and the other side — information alone is not enough.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
知zhīto know
己jǐoneself
知zhīto know
彼bǐthe other side
Tap a character to explore it
TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01