知行合一
zhī xíng hé yī
knowing and doing are one; to practise what one knows
Character by character
知zhī
know
know
行xíng
act
act
合hé
unite
unite
一yī
one
one
Example
这位老校长一生知行合一，要求学生做到的，他自己总是先做到。
The old head teacher lived by what he knew: whatever he asked of his pupils, he always did first himself.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
Wang Yangming’s teaching, first put forward in Guiyang in 1509. It means more than “theory plus practice”: knowing that never turns into action is not yet real knowing. Today it is a favourite of school mottoes, calligraphy and company slogans.
Learn this in Lesson 98 · HSK 6–7: 王阳明与知行合一 (Wang Yangming: knowing is doing)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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