To know one's place意思是按照自己的身份和地位行事,特别是指自己的地位比较低下的时候。
例子:
"During my first year on the assembly line, I noticed the foreman making a lot of mistakes. But I kept quiet. As a lowlevel worker, I KNEW MY PLACE. I didn't want to get fired for telling my supervisor what he had been doing wrong."
他说,我在组装线上工作的第一年注意到,工头犯了很多错误,但是我一声没吭,作为刚上岗的新人,我知道自己的身份,我可不想因为批评自己的上司不好,而被炒了鱿鱼。
know one's place这个习惯用语是十六世纪后半叶开始流行的,也许是因为那个时候,逐渐出现了严格的社会地位的规范吧。