Many custom options...

Tan Paper and Copper Silk Love Wall Scroll
Red Paper and Ivory Silk Love Wall Scroll
Orange Paper Love Scroll
Crazy Blue and Gold Silk Love Scroll


And formats...

Love Vertical Portrait
Love Horizontal Wall Scroll
Love Vertical Portrait

Know in Chinese / Japanese...

Buy a Know calligraphy wall scroll here!

Personalize your custom “Know” project by clicking the button next to your favorite “Know” title below...


  1. Know Your Enemy, Know Yourself, and You Cannot Lose

  2. Know Your Enemy, Know Yourself, and Win 100 Battles

  3. Know Thy Enemy, Know Thyself

  4. To Know Hardship, One Must Experience It

  5. Only the sleepless know the length of night

  6. If you have not been a monk, how can you know what it is like to be a vegetarian?

  7. Those Who Understand are Clever, Those Who Know Themselves are Truly Wise

  8. Comparison Leads to Truth and Enlightenment

  9. Hunt Foxes with Stealth, Hunt Wolves in the Open


Know Your Enemy, Know Yourself, and You Cannot Lose

 zhí bǐ zhí jī bǎi zhàn bú dài
Know Your Enemy, Know Yourself, and You Cannot Lose Scroll

知彼知己百戰不殆 is from Sun Tzu's (Sunzi's) Art of War. It means that if you know and understand the enemy, you also know yourself, and thus with this complete understanding, you cannot lose.

This proverb is often somewhat directly translated as “Know the enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat.”

It can also be translated as “If you know both yourself and your enemy, you can come out of hundreds of battles without danger,” or “Know your enemy, know yourself, and your victory will not be threatened.”

Know Your Enemy, Know Yourself, and Win 100 Battles

 teki o shi ri o no o shi re ba hya ku sen aya u ka ra zu
Know Your Enemy, Know Yourself, and Win 100 Battles Scroll

敵を知り己を知れば百戦危うからず is the longer/full Japanese version of this proverb. This means “Know your enemy, know yourself, and you will not fear a hundred battles.”

Others will translate this as “Know thy enemy, know thyself, yields victory in one hundred battles.”


Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Hiragana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

Know Thy Enemy, Know Thyself

 te ki o shi ri o no re o shi ru
Know Thy Enemy, Know Thyself Scroll

敵を知り己を知る is the Japanese version of “know your enemy, know yourself.”

There is a longer version of this proverb that adds, “...and you can win 100 battles.”


Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Hiragana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

Know Thy Enemy, Know Thyself

 zhí bǐ zhí jī
Know Thy Enemy, Know Thyself Scroll

This proverb is from Sun Tzu's (Sunzi's) Art of War.

It means that if you know and understand the enemy, you also know yourself. Four secondary characters come after this in the Art of War (not included here) which suggests you cannot lose a battle when you follow this philosophy.

In a very literal and somewhat-boring way, this can also be translated as “Estimate correctly one's strength as well as that of one's opponent.”

To Know Hardship, One Must Experience It

 bù dāng hé shàng bù zhī tóu lěng
To Know Hardship, One Must Experience It Scroll

不當和尚不知頭冷 is a Chinese proverb that literally translates as: [One who has] not been a monk [does] not know [the feeling of a] cold head.
I need to explain that a Chinese Buddhist monk always has a shaved head, and thus a cold head in winter.

Figuratively, this means: One cannot know the true meaning of hardship until one has experienced it oneself.


This is an idiom in Chinese, so the figurative meaning is what people perceive when they hear or read this phrase. Just as in English, when someone says, "The grass is always greener," one will think about the idea of jealousy, rather than the quality of one’s lawn.

Only the sleepless know the length of night

 bù mián zhī yè cháng jiǔ jiāo zhī rén xīn
Only the sleepless know the length of night Scroll

不眠之夜长久交知人心 literally translates as: [Only one who does] not sleep, learns how long the night is; [Only by] long acquaintance [does one] learn a person ['s true] character.

Basically, this proverb suggests that we really need to experience something intimately and for a long time to really know everything about it.

This can also be translated as “Spending years with someone is the only way to know them.”

Note: Sometimes this proverb is split into just the first or second idea alone (first 5 or last 5 characters only).

If you have not been a monk, how can you know what it is like to be a vegetarian?

Only by experiencing hardship will allow you understand the plight of others

 bù dāng hé shang bù zhī zhāi jiè kǔ
If you have not been a monk, how can you know what it is like to be a vegetarian? Scroll

不當和尚不知齋戒苦 literally translates as:
[One who has] not been a monk [does not] know the suffering of [being on a] vegetarian diet.

This is a bit like the “walk a mile in another man's shoes” saying. Basically, it's about you cannot fully understand the plight of others until you experience it yourself.

Those Who Understand are Clever, Those Who Know Themselves are Truly Wise

 zhī rén zhě zhì zì zhī zhě míng
Those Who Understand are Clever, Those Who Know Themselves are Truly Wise Scroll

知人者智自知者明 is a Chinese proverb that means “Those who understand others are clever, but those who know themselves are truly wise.”

This proverb is derived from the teachings in Laozi's (Lao Tzu's) 道德經 or Daodejing.

Comparison Leads to Truth and Enlightenment

 bù bǐ bù zhī dào yī bǐ xià yì tiào
Comparison Leads to Truth and Enlightenment Scroll

不比不知道一比吓一跳 is a Chinese proverb that literally means: [If one not does] not make comparisons, [one will] not know [the truth] when [one] compares, [one will be] greatly surprised.

This goes to the idea that if you do not know bad times, you cannot know what good times are.
...And...
You can not know light without experiencing darkness.

Another way to translate this would be: If you wish to be enlightened, you need to make comparisons and analyze every aspect (of a situation, issue, or problem).

Hunt Foxes with Stealth, Hunt Wolves in the Open

 àn dǎ hú li míng dǎ láng
Hunt Foxes with Stealth, Hunt Wolves in the Open Scroll

闇打狐狸明打狼 is a Chinese proverb that translates as: Hunt foxes stealthily, [and] hunt wolves openly [just as they do].

Figuratively, this means:
Different opponents require different appropriate strategies.

This is a suggestion that you should know your enemy and know that each enemy is different, therefore requires a specialized approach (attack).


See Also:  Art of War Military


These search terms might be related to Know:

Bad Experience, Caution Lingers

Distinguish Good and Evil

Do Not Shed a Tear Until You See the Coffin

Drain the Pond to Get All the Fish

Each Time You Stumble and Fall, You Gain Experience and Wisdom

Experience is the Mother of Wisdom

Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight

Knowledge From Experience

Past Experience is the Teacher for the Future

Realize Your Ambitions / Embrace Your Ambition

Realize Your Ambitions / Ride on the Crest of Success

Realize Your Dreams

Schooled by Experience and Hard Knocks

Those Who Understand Are Clever, Those Who Know Themselves Are Truly Wise

To Know Hardship, One Must Experience It

Wisdom Comes From Experience

You Must Endure a Harsh Winter to Appreciate the Warmth of Springtime

The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...

Title CharactersRomaji (Romanized Japanese)Various forms of Romanized Chinese
Know Your Enemy, Know Yourself, and You Cannot Lose知彼知己百戰不殆
知彼知己百战不殆
zhí bǐ zhí jī bǎi zhàn bú dài
zhi2 bi3 zhi2 ji1 bai3 zhan4 bu2 dai4
zhi bi zhi ji bai zhan bu dai
zhibizhijibaizhanbudai
chih pi chih chi pai chan pu tai
Know Your Enemy, Know Yourself, and Win 100 Battles敵を知り己を知れば百戦危うからずteki o shi ri o no o shi re ba hya ku sen aya u ka ra zu
Know Thy Enemy, Know Thyself敵を知り己を知るte ki o shi ri o no re o shi ru
tekioshirionoreoshiru
Know Thy Enemy, Know Thyself知彼知己zhí bǐ zhí jī
zhi2 bi3 zhi2 ji1
zhi bi zhi ji
zhibizhiji
chih pi chih chi
chihpichihchi
To Know Hardship, One Must Experience It不當和尚不知頭冷
不当和尚不知头冷
bù dāng hé shàng bù zhī tóu lěng
bu4 dang1 he2 shang4 bu4 zhi1 tou2 leng3
bu dang he shang bu zhi tou leng
pu tang ho shang pu chih t`ou leng
pu tang ho shang pu chih tou leng
Only the sleepless know the length of night不眠之夜長久交知人心
不眠之夜长久交知人心
bù mián zhī yè cháng jiǔ jiāo zhī rén xīn
bu4 mian2 zhi1 ye4 chang2 jiu3 jiao1 zhi1 ren2 xin1
bu mian zhi ye chang jiu jiao zhi ren xin
pu mien chih yeh ch`ang chiu chiao chih jen hsin
pu mien chih yeh chang chiu chiao chih jen hsin
If you have not been a monk, how can you know what it is like to be a vegetarian?不當和尚不知齋戒苦
不当和尚不知斋戒苦
bù dāng hé shang bù zhī zhāi jiè kǔ
bu4 dang1 he2 shang bu4 zhi1 zhai1 jie4 ku3
bu dang he shang bu zhi zhai jie ku
pu tang ho shang pu chih chai chieh k`u
pu tang ho shang pu chih chai chieh ku
Those Who Understand are Clever, Those Who Know Themselves are Truly Wise知人者智自知者明zhī rén zhě zhì zì zhī zhě míng
zhi1 ren2 zhe3 zhi4 zi4 zhi1 zhe3 ming2
zhi ren zhe zhi zi zhi zhe ming
zhirenzhezhizizhizheming
chih jen che chih tzu chih che ming
Comparison Leads to Truth and Enlightenment不比不知道一比嚇一跳
不比不知道一比吓一跳
bù bǐ bù zhī dào yī bǐ xià yì tiào
bu4 bi3 bu4 zhi1 dao4 yi1 bi3 xia4 yi4 tiao4
bu bi bu zhi dao yi bi xia yi tiao
pu pi pu chih tao i pi hsia i t`iao
pu pi pu chih tao i pi hsia i tiao
Hunt Foxes with Stealth, Hunt Wolves in the Open闇打狐狸明打狼
暗打狐狸明打狼
àn dǎ hú li míng dǎ láng
an4 da3 hu2 li ming2 da3 lang2
an da hu li ming da lang
andahulimingdalang
an ta hu li ming ta lang
antahulimingtalang
In some entries above you will see that characters have different versions above and below a line.
In these cases, the characters above the line are Traditional Chinese, while the ones below are Simplified Chinese.


Dictionary

Lookup Know in my Japanese & Chinese Dictionary


Successful Chinese Character and Japanese Kanji calligraphy searches within the last few hours...

A Moment of Time is as Precious as GoldAadilAaliyahAartiAbbiAbbyAbdulAbdulazizAbdullahAbdulrahmanAbigaelAdelaAdrianAdrianaAdrielAdvance BravelyAgathaAgusteAhmadAhmedAileenAinsleyAishaAkashAkemiAlaricAlexanderAlexandraAlexandriaAlieAlishaAlways Try to Do BetterAlyaAlyciaAminaAmirAmonAnandAnasAnatoliAndreasAndyAngelAngelaAnikAnilaAnniAnoukAnshuAnshulAnushkaArcherArdenAreebArelyAriaArielArielleArifArleyArminArmstrongArnoldAryanAscendAsheAstridAthenaAuraAyeshaAylahAzamAzariahAzharAzisAzizBanzaiBe Like Water My FriendBe True to YourselfBe Water My FriendBeatriceBeatrizBeckBellaBenoitBensonBentoBest FriendsBest Friends ForeverBetter to Be Happy Than RichBhumikaBibiBijayBlaineBlakeBlessed by GodBlissBodenBodhidharmaBogdanBondBrennanBrielleBrodyBrother and Sister BondBryantCaitlynCalebCaliCallumCalmCamilleCarmenCarsonCarterCasanovaCatarinaCathCaydenChandChaosCharlieCharmaineChavezChelseaChop Wood Carry WaterChrist My SaviorChristelleChristieCindyClarissaClarityClintonCommitmentCompassionConstantineContentmentCoriCosmoCourageCourtneyCraigCraneCristyCyrineCyrusDaisyDaito Ryu Aiki JujutsuDaltonDamarisDamianDamienDanaDaniaDanieleDanielleDaodejing Chapter 9DarrenDarrylDarylDavidDeath Before DishonorDemetriDenaDestinyDevonteDevotionDexterDillonDionDollyDominicDominickDragaDragon Crane TigerDrewDrunken MonkeyDuarteEddieEdwinElaineEleanorElenaEliaEliakimElianaElieElijahElisaEllieEllisEloiseElsaEmiliaEmmanuelErenEricaErnestoErrol

All of our calligraphy wall scrolls are handmade.

When the calligrapher finishes creating your artwork, it is taken to my art mounting workshop in Beijing where a wall scroll is made by hand from a combination of silk, rice paper, and wood.
After we create your wall scroll, it takes at least two weeks for air mail delivery from Beijing to you.

Allow a few weeks for delivery. Rush service speeds it up by a week or two for $10!

When you select your calligraphy, you'll be taken to another page where you can choose various custom options.


A nice Chinese calligraphy wall scroll

The wall scroll that Sandy is holding in this picture is a "large size"
single-character wall scroll.
We also offer custom wall scrolls in small, medium, and an even-larger jumbo size.

A professional Chinese Calligrapher

Professional calligraphers are getting to be hard to find these days.
Instead of drawing characters by hand, the new generation in China merely type roman letters into their computer keyboards and pick the character that they want from a list that pops up.

There is some fear that true Chinese calligraphy may become a lost art in the coming years. Many art institutes in China are now promoting calligraphy programs in hopes of keeping this unique form of art alive.

Trying to learn Chinese calligrapher - a futile effort

Even with the teachings of a top-ranked calligrapher in China, my calligraphy will never be good enough to sell. I will leave that to the experts.

A high-ranked Chinese master calligrapher that I met in Zhongwei

The same calligrapher who gave me those lessons also attracted a crowd of thousands and a TV crew as he created characters over 6-feet high. He happens to be ranked as one of the top 100 calligraphers in all of China. He is also one of very few that would actually attempt such a feat.


Check out my lists of Japanese Kanji Calligraphy Wall Scrolls and Old Korean Hanja Calligraphy Wall Scrolls.

Some people may refer to this entry as Know Kanji, Know Characters, Know in Mandarin Chinese, Know Characters, Know in Chinese Writing, Know in Japanese Writing, Know in Asian Writing, Know Ideograms, Chinese Know symbols, Know Hieroglyphics, Know Glyphs, Know in Chinese Letters, Know Hanzi, Know in Japanese Kanji, Know Pictograms, Know in the Chinese Written-Language, or Know in the Japanese Written-Language.

244 people have searched for Know in Chinese or Japanese in the past year.
Know was last searched for by someone else on Apr 20th, 2026