知难而退

Pronunciation: zhī nán ér tuì Literal meaning: Know difficulty and retreat

Origin & Usage

The idiom 知难而退 (zhī nán ér tuì) originates from the Spring and Autumn period, specifically from the historical text 《左传》 (Zuo Zhuan). It describes a strategic military decision during a conflict between the states of Jin and Chu. When the Jin army, led by commanders like 荀林父 (Xun Linfu), learned that the Chu had already made peace with Zheng, they debated whether to engage in battle. Despite some advocating for confrontation, others argued for retreat, recognizing the strength and discipline of the Chu forces. This decision to 'know the difficulty and retreat' (知, know; 难, difficulty; 而, and; 退, retreat) proved wise, as those who pressed on faced defeat. In modern usage, this idiom suggests the wisdom of recognizing when to withdraw from a challenging situation to avoid unnecessary loss.

Examples

English: "He wisely chose to step back when the challenges became overwhelming"

Chinese: 当困难变得无法承受时，他明智地选择了退缩