‘知识’ (zhī shi) means ‘knowledge’ — the facts, information, skills, and understanding acquired through experience or education. The first character 知 (zhī) means ‘to know’ or ‘to be aware of,’ while 识 (shì) means ‘to recognize,’ ‘to identify,’ or ‘to understand.’ Together, they emphasize both awareness and deeper comprehension — not just memorizing facts, but grasping their meaning and application.

This word is commonly used in academic, professional, and everyday contexts: ‘gaining knowledge,’ ‘sharing knowledge,’ or ‘lacking knowledge’ in a particular field. It’s a formal, neutral noun — appropriate in writing and speech — and often appears in compounds like 知识分子 (zhī shi fèn zǐ, ‘intellectual’) or 知识产权 (zhī shi chǎn quán, ‘intellectual property’). Unlike more colloquial terms like 东西 (dōng xi, ‘stuff’) or 道理 (dào lǐ, ‘reason/principle’), 知识 carries an emphasis on systematic, learnable content.