彼を知り己を知れば百戦殆からず
Japanese edit
| Kanji in this term | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 彼 | 知 | 己 | 知 | 百 | 戦 | 殆 |
| かれ Grade: S |
し Grade: 2 |
おのれ Grade: 6 |
し Grade: 2 |
ひゃく Grade: 1 |
せん Grade: 4 |
あやう Jinmeiyō |
| kun’yomi | goon | kun’yomi | ||||
| Alternative spelling |
|---|
| 彼を知り己を知れば百戰殆からず (kyūjitai) |
Etymology edit
Calque of Literary Chinese 知彼知己，百戰不殆 (zhībǐzhījǐ, bǎizhànbùdài), from the chapter 謀攻／谋攻 (“Attack by Stratagem”) of Sun Tzu’s Art of War.
Phrase edit
彼を知り己を知れば百戦殆からず • (kare o shiri onore o shireba hyakusen ayaukarazu)
- (literal) know the other side and yourself, a hundred battles will not be perilous
- (figurative) it is important to understand the strength and weakness of your side and the opposing side, in order to mitigate the risk of failure