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See also: 知其不可而为

Chinese

to know; to be aware
his; her; its
his; her; its; theirs; that; such; it (refers to something 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

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？」 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
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？」 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]
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?”
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."

Pronunciation

Idiom

知其不可而為

  1. 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)

Synonyms

Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia