諺語 · a single proverb
知彼知己，百戰不殆
Simplified: 知彼知己，百战不殆
What does 知彼知己，百戰不殆 (zhī bǐ zhī jǐ bǎi zhàn bù dài) mean?
知彼知己，百戰不殆 (zhī bǐ zhī jǐ bǎi zhàn bù dài) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "know the other and know yourself; a hundred battles without peril." In use it means: Understanding both your opponent and yourself makes you unbeatable. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Water note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Tiger.
Literally: "know the other and know yourself; a hundred battles without peril."
The reading
Half of strategy is knowing what you are good at. The other half is knowing what the other side is good at. Most failures come from knowing one but not the other, or from the flattering delusion that you know both when you know neither.
What kind of proverb it is
Source The Art of War 孫子兵法, Mou Gong 謀攻 (Sun Tzu)
Sits beside
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 Courage & Decisive Action, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Tiger, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 知彼知己，百戰不殆 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 知彼知己，百戰不殆 (zhī bǐ zhī jǐ bǎi zhàn bù dài) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from The Art of War 孫子兵法, Mou Gong 謀攻 (Sun Tzu). 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 知彼知己，百戰不殆?
In Mandarin it is zhī bǐ zhī jǐ 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 知彼知己，百戰不殆 aloud in Mandarin.