諺語 · a single proverb
知止而後有定
Simplified: 知止而后有定
What does 知止而後有定 (zhī zhǐ ér hòu yǒu dìng) mean?
知止而後有定 (zhī zhǐ ér hòu yǒu dìng) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "knowing stopping, then having stability." In use it means: Only by knowing when to stop can one achieve genuine stability and stillness. 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 Snake.
Literally: "knowing stopping, then having stability."
The reading
The river cannot rest while it is moving, but the lake that has found its basin is still in a way the river cannot be. Knowing where to stop is not resignation but the finding of the basin, the place where the motion that has been appropriate becomes the stillness that is also appropriate. Stability comes to those who know when the moving is done.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Da Xue 大學 (Dà Xué, The Great Learning)
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 Humility & Self-Mastery, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Snake, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 知止而後有定 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 知止而後有定 (zhī zhǐ ér hòu yǒu dìng) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Da Xue 大學 (Dà Xué, The Great Learning). 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 知止而後有定?
In Mandarin it is zhī zhǐ ér hòu yǒu dìng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 知止而後有定 aloud in Mandarin.