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知足 (zhī zú) — content with what one has; grateful and satisfied

Definition

A virtue-like adjective meaning 'contented with what you have' — positive and self-aware. Unlike 自满 (smug complacency), 知足 is humble; 惬意 describes a passing mood, while 知足 is a lasting attitude.

adjective
content with what one hasgrateful and satisfied

Examples

  • 知足，。
    Tā duì xiàn zài de shēng huó hěn zhī zú, bù xiǎng huàn gōng zuò.
    He is very content with his current life and doesn't want to change jobs.
  • 知足，。
    Rén yào xué huì zhī zú, cái néng gǎn shòu dào xìng fú.
    People need to learn contentment in order to feel happiness.
  • ，知足。
    Néng yǒu jī huì xué xí zhōng wén, wǒ yǐ jīng hěn zhī zú le.
    Having the opportunity to study Chinese, I am already content.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

知zhīknow
足zúenough

知 (know) and 足 (enough) give knowing what is enough, hence contentment.

Characters in this word

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 →

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

足 was originally drawn as a leg.

Open 足 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Personality & Traits

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