知其不可而為

See also: 知其不可而为

Chinese
to know; to be aware
 
his; her; its; theirs; that; such; it (refers to sth preceding it)
 cannot; should not; must not
 
and; as well as; but (not); yet (not); (shows causal relation); (shows change of state); (shows contrast)
 
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 為
simp. (知其不可而为) 知 其 不可 而 为

Etymology

The Analects:

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？」 [Classical Chinese, trad.][▼ expand/hide]
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？” [Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: The Analects of Confucius, circa 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
Zǐlù sù yú Shímén. Chénmén yuē: “Xīzì?” Zǐlù yuē: “Zì Kǒng shì.” Yuē: “Shì zhī qí bùkě ér wéi zhī zhě yú?” [Pinyin]
Zilu spent the night at Shimen.
(In the morning) the gatekeeper asked him, “Where do you come from?”
Zilu said, “I come from (the house of) Mr. Kong.”
(The gate keeper) responded, “Is he (not) the one who knows the futility (of doing something) yet does it anyway.”[1]

Note:

  1. Mr. Kong (Confucius) was advocating morality during a time of chaos (a futile undertaking).

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
  • 知其不可而為之／知其不可而为之
  • 知其不可為而為之／知其不可为而为之
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