諺語 · a single proverb
知足知止
What does 知足知止 (zhī zú zhī zhǐ) mean?
知足知止 (zhī zú zhī zhǐ) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "know sufficiency, know stopping." In use it means: Know when you have enough and when to stop; contentment and restraint. 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 Pig.
Literally: "know sufficiency, know stopping."
The reading
The hand that reaches past enough does not gain more; it loses the contentment that was already there. Knowing how to stop is the rarer skill, the one that keeps fortune from becoming its own misfortune. Those who know where to rest their foot rarely step into the void.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Tao Te Ching 道德經·第四十四章 (Chapter 44)
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 Pig, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 知足知止 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 知足知止 (zhī zú zhī zhǐ) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Tao Te Ching 道德經·第四十四章 (Chapter 44). 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 知足知止?
In Mandarin it is zhī zú zhī zhǐ. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 知足知止 aloud in Mandarin.