In scholarship, admit what you know - if you don't understand, ask.
Tips
history
From 《论语·为政》: 知之为知之，不知为不知，是知也. 'Knowing something is admitting you know it; not knowing is admitting you don't know - this is true knowledge.' Confucius is addressing 子路. The final 知 is a phonetic loan for 智 (wisdom): true wisdom begins with intellectual honesty about one's limits.
usage
The closing 知 is read zhì (= 智, 'wisdom'), not zhī. The full line is one of the most quoted in the Analects, cited in schools and in discussions of intellectual humility.
