to make one's way clear

09:22 Jul 29, 2007 

I happen to have a German version translated by Martin Luther (1534) and a Spanish version translated by Casiodoro de Reina (1569). Both translations have shed some light in the understanding of "making one's way clear."

The German version say,
"It is the wisdom of the sensible ones that he take heed of his way; but the folly of the fools is merely deceit." (Das ist des Kluges Weisheit, daß er auf seinen Weg merkt.),
while Spanish version says,
"The knowledge of the prudent is for understanding his way; but the indiscretion of those fools for deceit." (La ciencia del prudente está en entender su camino; Mas la indiscretion de los necios es engaño.)

It seems to me that 明白己道 means "to know one's way" in both translations. So, "to make one's way clear" means "to know oneself" with no (self-)deceit. 明白 must be a verb in this sense. It is a fool's work to tell another person that he has a big project so that he doesn't have the time to fulfill an appointment while the reason why he cannot keep his words lies somewhere else. It is as well a fool's work to take advantage of a position to suppress others with provoked excuses. In Salomon's proverbs, it is clear that the deceitful fools will lose by the end.