知其然而不知其所以然
zhī​qí​rán'ér​bù​zhī​qí​suǒ​yǐ​rán

to know the result but not the cause

  1. 知 zhī verb
    to know
    to know; to be aware of; to realize or sense
  2. 其 qí pronoun
    [third-person possessive]
    his; her; its; their; refers back to a person or thing mentioned previously
  3. 然 rán adverbconjunction
    correct
    (bound form) right; correct; so; thus; in this way; to agree or approve
  4. 而 ér conjunction
    but
    Used to connect ideas that contrast or conflict; yet; but; on the other hand
  5. 不 bù adverb
    not
    Negative adverb used before verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs to indicate negation; also used as a bound-form prefix to form terms with opposite meanings
  6. 知 zhī verb
    to know
    to know; to be aware of; to realize or sense
  7. 其 qí pronoun
    [third-person possessive]
    his; her; its; their; refers back to a person or thing mentioned previously
  8. 所以然 suǒ​yǐ​rán
    the why and wherefore
    the cause, reason, or underlying logic of a situation