自知 (zì zhī) — to know oneself; to be self-aware

Definition

verb
to know oneselfto be self-aware

Examples

  • 。
    Rén guì yǒu zì zhī zhī míng.
    It is valuable for a person to have self-knowledge.
  • 自知，。
    Tā zì zhī néng lì bù zú, zhǔ dòng tuì chū le bǐ sài.
    Aware of his own lack of ability, he voluntarily withdrew from the competition.
  • 自知，。
    zì zhī Zhě bú yuàn rén, zhī mìng zhě bú yuàn tiān.
    One who knows himself does not blame others; one who knows fate does not blame heaven.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

自zìself
知zhīknow

自 (self) and 知 (know) combine to mean knowing oneself.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

自 originally drew a nose. It was borrowed purely for its sound to write 自, so the picture and the meaning are unrelated.

Open 自 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

An early form of 知 showed 大 (adult), 口 (mouth), and 子 (child): an adult speaking to a child to pass on knowledge. The 子 part was dropped, and the 大 part changed shape.

Open 知 →

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