知彼知己 Zhi bi zhi ji Know yourself and your enemy

Explanation

知彼知己，意思是了解对方，也了解自己。出自《孙子兵法》，强调在战争中，要充分了解敌我双方的情况，才能做到百战不殆。现在也常用于其他领域，指对双方情况都很了解。

Knowing yourself and your opponent, you can win a hundred battles without defeat. This idiom comes from "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu, emphasizes that you must have sufficient knowledge of both yourself and your opponent in order to win every battle. Now, it is also used in other fields, meaning to have a thorough understanding of both parties involved.

Origin Story

春秋时期，吴国和越国长期争斗不休。吴王阖闾想一举灭掉越国，但越王勾践却非常狡猾。孙武为吴王献策：“知彼知己，百战不殆。”他深入研究越国的国情、地理、民俗以及越王的性格，并且周密地分析了吴国自身的优势和劣势。孙武制定了详细的作战计划，他利用越国内部矛盾，巧妙地运用计谋，最终帮助吴国取得了战争的胜利。然而，孙武也告诫吴王，胜利并非最终目的，关键在于知己知彼，才能在任何竞争中立于不败之地。这个故事生动地说明，无论是在战争还是在其他竞争中，只有全面了解自身和对手的情况，才能制定出有效的策略，最终取得成功。

Chunqiu shiqi, Wu guo he Yue guo changqi zheng dou buxiu. Wu Wang He Lü xiang yi ju mie diao Yue guo, dan Yue Wang Gou Jian que feichang jiao hua. Sun Wu wei Wu Wang xian ce: "Zhi bi zhi ji, bai zhan bu dai." Ta shen ru yanjiu Yue guo de guoqing, dili, minsu yi ji Yue Wang de xingge, bing qie zhou mi di fenxi le Wu guo zi shen de youshi he lieshi. Sun Wu zhidingle xiangxi de zuozhan jihua, ta liyong Yue guo neibu maodun, qiao miao di yun yong jimo, zhongyu bangzhu Wu guo qude le zhanzheng de shengli. Ran er, Sun Wu ye gaojie Wu Wang, shengli bing fei zhongjiu mude, guanjian zaiyu zhi bi zhi ji, cai neng zai renhe jingzheng zhong liyu bu bai zhi di. Zhege gushi shengdong di shuoming, wulun shi zai zhanzheng haishi zai qita jingzheng zhong, zhiyou quanmian liaojie zi shen he duishou de qingkuang, cai neng zhidinge youxiao de celve, zhongyu qude chenggong.

During the Spring and Autumn period, the state of Wu and Yue were in a long-term conflict. King Helü of Wu wanted to completely destroy Yue, but Goujian, the king of Yue, was very cunning. Sun Wu advised King Helü: "Knowing yourself and your enemy, you can win a hundred battles without defeat." He thoroughly investigated Yue's national conditions, geography, customs, and the king's personality, and carefully analyzed Wu's own strengths and weaknesses. Sun Wu developed a detailed battle plan, using Yue's internal contradictions and clever strategies, finally helping Wu win the war. However, Sun Wu also warned King Helü that victory is not the ultimate goal, the key is to know yourself and your opponent to be invincible in any competition. This story vividly illustrates that, whether in war or in other competitions, only by fully understanding your own situation and that of your opponent can you develop effective strategies and ultimately achieve success.

Usage

这个成语主要用于军事、商业等领域，强调充分了解自身和对方情况的重要性。

Zhe ge cheng yu zhu yao yong yu jun shi, shang ye deng ling yu, qiang diao chong fen liao jie zi shen he dui fang qing kuang de zhong yao xing.

This idiom is mainly used in military and business fields, emphasizing the importance of fully understanding your own situation and that of the other party.

Examples

• 商场如战场，知彼知己，才能百战不殆。

  shang chang ru zhan chang,zhi bi zhi ji,cai neng bai zhan bu dai

  The market is like a battlefield. Only those who know their enemy and themselves can win a hundred battles.

• 想要打赢这场比赛，必须知彼知己，才能有的放矢。

  xiang yao da ying zhe chang bi sai,bi xu zhi bi zhi ji,cai neng you de fang shi

  To win this game, you must know yourself and your opponent to be effective

Related Idioms

• 知己知彼

• 运筹帷幄

Opposite Idioms

• 一无所知

• 盲目