Chapter 71
Not-Knowing
Knowing Not-Knowing
Knowing that you don't know is the highest. Not knowing that you don't know is a disease. The sage is not diseased because he recognizes this disease as disease. Therefore he is not diseased.
知不知，尚矣；不知知，病也。
圣人不病，以其病病。
夫唯病病，是以不病。
Knowing that you don't know is the highest.
Not knowing that you don't know is a disease.
The sage is not diseased
because he recognizes this disease as disease.
Therefore he is not diseased.
| Term | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 知不知 | zhī bù zhī | knowing not-knowing — knowing that you don't know |
| 不知知 | bù zhī zhī | not knowing knowing — not knowing that you don't know |
| 病病 | bìng bìng | diseasing disease — recognizing disease as disease |
"Knowing that you don't know is the highest. Not knowing that you don't know is a disease."
The Socratic parallel: "I know that I know nothing." The highest wisdom is knowing the limits of your knowledge. The deepest ignorance is not knowing that you're ignorant. This is the difference between wisdom and folly.
"The sage is not diseased because he recognizes this disease as disease."
The sage's immunity: by knowing that not-knowing is a disease, they are cured of it. The meta-cognition — knowing about your own not-knowing — is the cure. Self-awareness is the antidote to ignorance.
This means you should know everything.
It means you should know what you don't know. Humility about your ignorance is the beginning of wisdom.
The sage has no disease at all.
The sage recognizes the universal disease of not-knowing. This recognition is what makes them healthy — not the absence of the disease, but the awareness of it.
💡 Intellectual Humility
In a world that rewards confidence, practice saying "I don't know." It's not a weakness — it's the foundation of genuine learning.
🏢 Decision-Making
The best decisions come from knowing what you don't know. Identify your blind spots before committing. Uncertainty acknowledged is uncertainty managed.
📚 Learning Mindset
"Knowing not-knowing" is the beginner's mind. Approach every situation with fresh eyes, acknowledging that you don't have all the answers. This is the beginning of wisdom.
Wang Bi 王弼 (226–249 CE)
"The sage knows his own ignorance. This self-knowledge is the foundation of all wisdom. Those who think they know are the most ignorant."
Self-knowledge of ignorance as wisdom's foundation.
Heshang Gong 河上公 (Han dynasty)
"The disease of not-knowing is cured by knowing it. Awareness of the disease is the medicine."
Awareness as cure.
Chen Guying 陈鼓应 (b. 1935)
"Laozi's epistemology — knowing what you don't know — is one of the most profound philosophical insights in the Tao Te Ching."
The profundity of Laozi's epistemological insight.
🔗 Cross-References
📖 Within the Tao Te Ching
📚 Other Classics
Socrates: "I know that I know nothing"
Zhuangzi · Qi Wu Lun: "The greatest knowledge is knowing that you don't know"
🌍 Modern Thought
Dunning-Kruger effect: Those who know least are most confident
Epistemology: The limits of knowledge — Karl Popper