知难而退

知難而退

zhīnán'értuì

idiom #44,269

Meanings

1 to retreat upon realizing the difficulty
2 to back off once you see it's too hard (can be prudent or cowardly depending on context)

Characters

to know; realize

and then (classical)

to retreat; withdraw

Examples

见形势不利，他选择知难而退。

Jiàn xíngshì bùlì, tā xuǎnzé zhīnán'értuì.

Seeing the situation was unfavorable, he chose to back off.

明知做不到，不如知难而退。

Míngzhī zuò bùdào, bùrú zhīnán'értuì.

If you clearly can't do it, better to step back than push on.

遇到挑战就知难而退，永远不会进步。

Yùdào tiǎozhàn jiù zhīnán'értuì, yǒngyuǎn bùhuì jìnbù.

If you retreat at every challenge, you'll never make progress.

Tips

history

From 《左传·宣公十二年》: '见可而行，知难而退，军之善政也' — 'to advance when you see opportunity and retreat when you see difficulty is good military strategy.' Originally a neutral tactical principle; modern usage often tilts negative ('give up too easily').

usage

Context-dependent tone. Praising: 'wise to know your limits.' Criticizing: 'quits at the first sign of trouble.' Contrast with 迎难而上 (to rise to the challenge), its opposite.

Stroke Order

知 zhī

难 nán

而 ér

退 tuì