知其不可而為
See also: 知其不可而为
Chinese edit
| to know; to be aware | his; her; its his; her; its; theirs; that; such; it (refers to sth preceding it) |
cannot; should not; must not | and; as well as; but (not) and; as well as; but (not); yet (not); (shows causal relation); (shows change of state); (shows contrast) |
because of; for; to because of; for; to; act as; take...to be; to be; to do; to serve as; to become | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (知其不可而為/知其不可而爲) | 知 | 其 | 不可 | 而 | 為/爲 | |
| simp. (知其不可而为) | 知 | 其 | 不可 | 而 | 为 | |
Etymology edit
From the Analects, Book 14 (《論語·憲問》):
- 子路宿於石門。晨門曰：「奚自？」子路曰：「自孔氏。」曰：「是知其不可而為之者與？」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
- Zǐlù sù yú Shímén. Chén mén yuē: “Xī zì?” Zǐlù yuē: “Zì Kǒng shì.” Yuē: “Shì zhī qí bùkě ér wéi zhī zhě yú?” [Pinyin]
- Zilu happening to pass the night in Shi Men, the gatekeeper said to him, "Whom do you come from?" Zi Lu said, "From Mr. Kong." "It is he, is it not?" said the other, "who knows the impracticable nature of the times and yet will be doing in them."
子路宿于石门。晨门曰：「奚自？」子路曰：「自孔氏。」曰：「是知其不可而为之者与？」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
Pronunciation edit
Idiom edit
知其不可而為
- to (stubbornly) do something even though you know it is impossible; to understand the difficulty of a feat but to attempt it anyway because it is the right thing to do (e.g. strive to eliminate world hunger)