Chinese is fun (1) - Playing with "知不知“！

  Chinese is fun. Playing with "知不知“！

Consider this:

《道德经》第71章 : 知不知，上；不知知，病。

Translation:

To know that you do not know is highest wisdom;

not to know yet think you know is a sickness.

Explanation:

Laozi teaches that true wisdom comes from recognizing the limits of one’s knowledge. Pretending to know when one does not leads to ignorance and self-deception.

《论语》·为政篇（2:17）知之为知之，不知为不知，是知也。

Translation:

To know what you know, and to admit what you do not know — that is true knowledge.

Explanation:

Confucius emphasizes intellectual honesty and humility — a wise person distinguishes between what they know and what they do not, avoiding arrogance and false certainty.

These two sayings share a profound harmony: both Laozi and Confucius value self-awareness and humility in knowledge — recognizing ignorance is the first step toward true understanding.

English also has similar one...

​"He who knows not and knows not that he knows not is a fool, shun him." ​"He who knows not and knows that he knows not is ignorant, teach him." ​"He who knows and knows not that he knows is asleep, wake him." ​"He who knows and knows that he knows is wise, follow him."

By ChatGPT:

🔍 Comparison and Synthesis:

Theme	Laozi (道德经 71)	Confucius (论语 2:17)	Western Proverb
Core Idea	Knowing ignorance = wisdom; thinking you know = sickness	Admitting ignorance = true knowledge	Awareness of knowledge defines wisdom/foolishness
Focus	Self-awareness & humility	Honesty & intellectual integrity	Typology of awareness & action toward others
Tone	Philosophical, inward, self-reflective	Ethical, rational, educational	Practical, social, diagnostic
Goal	To heal the “sickness” of false knowledge	To cultivate honest self-knowledge	To guide behavior toward different types of people

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💡 Unified Insight:

All three teachings converge on a timeless truth:

Wisdom begins with awareness of what one knows and does not know.

Laozi calls ignorance of one’s ignorance a sickness,
Confucius calls awareness of ignorance true knowledge,
and the Western proverb classifies it as foolishness to wisdom depending on one’s awareness.

Together, they form a complete picture of intellectual humility — the foundation of learning, growth, and enlightenment.

For more, see Chinese Words Make You Smarter