明知

míngzhī

verb #10,661

Meanings

他明知故犯，必须受到惩罚。

Tā míngzhīgùfàn, bìxū shòudào chéngfá.

He knowingly broke the rules and must be punished.

她明知这样做不对，还是去做了。

Tā míngzhī zhèyàng zuò búduì, háishì qù zuò le.

She knew perfectly well it was wrong, but did it anyway.

grammar

明知 is often followed by a clause stating what is known, then a contrasting action: 明知...还/却... (knowing full well...yet still...).

usage

The set phrase 明知故犯 means 'to knowingly violate' -- doing something wrong despite knowing better.

明 míng

知 zhī