See How Fast You Can Learn Chinese

Try our interactive spaced repetition demo—study your first words in 60 seconds

Interactive demo Takes 60 seconds No sign-up needed
Try Demo Now

知其不可而为之

zhī qí bù kě ér wéi zhī

Sign in to save this word to your study lists.

Definitions

  1. 1. to keep going resolutely despite knowing the task is impossible (idiom)

Child Words of 知其不可而为之

其
qí

his

不
bù

no; not so

而
ér

and

知
zhī

to know

不可
bù kě

cannot; should not; must not

为
wèi

because of

为
wéi

as (in the capacity of)

可
kě

can

之
zhī

(possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de])