自知之明
zì zhī zhī míng
knowing one’s own limits
Character by character
自zì
self
self
知zhī
know
know
之zhī
of
of
明míng
clarity
clarity
Example
人贵有自知之明，我知道自己不适合当领导。
Self-knowledge matters — I know I’m not cut out to be a manager.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
A noun used with 有／没有, as in the saying 人贵有自知之明.
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