彼を知り己を知れば百戦殆からず
Japanese
| 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
Calque of Literary Chinese 知彼知己，百戰不殆, from the chapter 謀攻 (“Attack by Stratagem”) of Sun Tzu’s Art of War.
Phrase
彼を知り己を知れば百戦殆からず • (kare o shiri onore o shireba hyakusen ayaukarazu)
- (literally) know the other side and yourself, a hundred battles will not be perilous
- (figuratively) it is important to understand the strength and weakness of your side and the opposing side, in order to mitigate the risk of failure