知己知彼
zhī jǐ zhī bǐ
Pinyin

Definition

知己知彼
 - 
zhī jǐ zhī bǐ
  1. know yourself, know your enemy (idiom, from Sunzi's "The Art of War" 孫子兵法|孙子兵法[Sūn zǐ Bīng fǎ])

Character Decomposition

Related Words (20)

知道
zhī dào
  1. 1 to know
  2. 2 to become aware of
  3. 3 also pr. [zhī dao]
自己
zì jǐ
  1. 1 oneself
  2. 2 one's own
不知不觉
bù zhī bù jué
  1. 1 unconsciously
  2. 2 unwittingly
不知所措
bù zhī suǒ cuò
  1. 1 not knowing what to do (idiom); at one's wits' end
  2. 2 embarrassed and at a complete loss
告知
gào zhī
  1. 1 to inform

Idioms (20)

一问三不知
yī wèn sān bù zhī
  1. 1 lit. to reply "don't know" whatever the question (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. absolutely no idea of what's going on
  3. 3 complete ignorance
一望而知
yī wàng ér zhī
  1. 1 to be evident at a glance (idiom)
一无所知
yī wú suǒ zhī
  1. 1 not knowing anything at all (idiom); completely ignorant
  2. 2 without an inkling
一知半解
yī zhī bàn jiě
  1. 1 lit. to know one and understand half (idiom); a smattering of knowledge
  2. 2 dilettante
  3. 3 amateur
一叶知秋
yī yè zhī qiū
  1. 1 lit. the falling of one leaf heralds the coming of autumn (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. a small sign can indicate a great trend
  3. 3 a straw in the wind

Sample Sentences

是呀，不论是商业谈判还是与人交往，“知己知彼”是成功的前提。
shì ya ，bùlùn shì shāngyè tánpàn háishi yǔ rén jiāowǎng ，“zhījǐzhībǐ ”shì chénggōng de qiántí 。
Yes, whether it is business negotiations or dealing with people, "knowing ourselves and knowing each other" is the prerequisite for success.
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别气急败坏亲爱的，我当然也不希望我们家老王在外面拈花惹草的，可歇斯底里解决不了问题，得冷静分析，所谓，知己知彼、百战不殆嘛。
bié qìjíbàihuài qīn ài de ，wǒ dāngrán yě bù xīwàng wǒmen jiā Lǎo Wáng zài wàimian niǎnhuārěcǎo de ，kě xiēsīdǐlǐ jiějuébùliǎo wèntí ，děi lěngjìng fēnxī ，suǒwèi ，zhījǐzhībǐ 、bǎizhànbùdài ma 。
Don't get yourself into such a state, dear. Of course I don't want my hubby to sow wild oats, but getting hysterical about things isn't going to resolve the issue. You have to do a cool analysis, like that quote from the Art of War: "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles."
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