不以規矩,不能成方圓

简 不以规矩,不能成方圆 · 繁 不以規矩,不能成方圓
Mandarin · pinyin bù yǐ guī ju , bù néng chéng fāng yuán

Meanings

  1. without rules, nothing can be done (idiom, from Mencius); one must follow some rules
Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

不
bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
以
yǐ · by means of; thereby, therefore; consider as; in order to
規
Look up this written character
矩
jǔ · carpenter's square, ruler, rule
能
néng · to be able; can, permitted to; ability
成
chéng · completed, finished, fixed
方
fāng · a square, rectangle; a region; local
圓
yuán · circle; round, circular; complete
规
guī · rules, regulations, customs, law
圆
yuán · circle; round, circular; complete
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Connected dictionary

9character links
Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗
Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

不以規矩,不能成方圓 · find source passages ↗ · 不以规矩,不能成方圆 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

不以規矩,不能成方圓 · bu4 yi3 gui1 ju5 , bu4 neng2 cheng2 fang1 yuan2
CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG · edition 2026-10-13 · source line 2,169
Original dictionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source & transformation details
Exact source record不以規矩,不能成方圓 不以规矩,不能成方圆 [bu4 yi3 gui1 ju5 , bu4 neng2 cheng2 fang1 yuan2] /without rules, nothing can be done (idiom, from Mencius); one must follow some rules/