zhī qí rán ér bù zhī qí suǒ yǐ rándictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
(saying) to know that it is so but not why it is so
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-102d648cbfe426e2. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

知其然而不知其所以然 知其然而不知其所以然 [zhi1 qi2 ran2 er2 bu4 zhi1 qi2 suo3 yi3 ran2] /(saying) to know that it is so but not why it is so/

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Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

知其然而不知其所以然
Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.