自知之明 (zì zhī) — self-knowledge; the wisdom to know one's own abilities and limitations
Definition
A formal set phrase meaning 'the wisdom to know one's own limits.' It usually describes having this quality, with a positive sense (有自知之明) or a negative one (缺乏自知之明, overestimating oneself).
noun
self-knowledgethe wisdom to know one's own abilities and limitations
Examples
- 自知之明，。Tā hěn yǒu zì zhī, zhī dào zì jǐ bú shàn cháng guǎn lǐ.He has good self-knowledge and knows he is not good at management.
- 自知之明。Quē fá zì zhī de rén wǎng wǎng gāo gū zì jǐ de néng lì.People who lack self-knowledge often overestimate their abilities.
- ：“，自知之明。”Kǒng zǐ shuō: "zhī rén zhě zhì, zì zhī zhě míng."Confucius said: 'He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.'
Appears in
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