諺語 · a single proverb
知己知彼，百戰不殆
Simplified: 知己知彼，百战不殆
What does 知己知彼，百戰不殆 (zhī jǐ zhī bǐ, bǎi zhàn bù dài) mean?
知己知彼，百戰不殆 (zhī jǐ zhī bǐ, bǎi zhàn bù dài) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "know yourself, know the other, and in a hundred battles you are never in peril." In use it means: Understanding both your own nature and the situation lets you face any contest safely. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Metal note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Tiger.
Literally: "know yourself, know the other, and in a hundred battles you are never in peril."
The reading
You study your opponent hard and study yourself hardly at all, which is why the same defeat keeps finding you. The blind spot is never across the table, it is behind your own eyes. Know the shape of your own flinch and no contest can surprise you into it.
The story
The line is from Sunzi's Art of War: know yourself and know the other, and in a hundred battles you will never be in peril. It is used well beyond war, as counsel that understanding both your own nature and the situation across from you is what lets you meet any contest without being surprised into defeat.
You study your opponent hard and yourself hardly at all, which is why the same defeat keeps finding you. Learn the exact shape of your own flinch, the place you predictably crack, and no contest can catch you there again.
What kind of proverb it is
Source The Art of War 孫子兵法
Sits beside
勝人者有力，自勝者強
shèng rén zhě yǒu lì, zì shèng zhě qiáng
Beating other people only takes power.
尺有所短，寸有所長
chǐ yǒu suǒ duǎn, cùn yǒu suǒ cháng
Even the larger measure has its shortcomings and the smaller its strengths: everyone has gifts and gaps, so judge no one, and least of all yourself, by a single scale.
克己復禮
kè jǐ fù lǐ
Master your own impulses and align your conduct with what is right.
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Humility & Self-Mastery, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Tiger, Year of the Monkey, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 知己知彼，百戰不殆 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 知己知彼，百戰不殆 (zhī jǐ zhī bǐ, bǎi zhàn bù dài) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from The Art of War 孫子兵法. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 知己知彼，百戰不殆?
In Mandarin it is zhī jǐ zhī bǐ, bǎi zhàn bù dài. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 知己知彼，百戰不殆 aloud in Mandarin.