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不破不立

Mandarin · pinyin bù pò bù lì

without destruction there can be no construction

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Characters in this entry

不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
破: pò · break, ruin, destroy; rout
立: lì · stand; let stand; establish, set

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–4–4–4 · bu4 po4 bu4 li4

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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.

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

bat1 po3 bat1 laap6

Cantonese word readings for 不破不立. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) There is no construction without destruction. There's no making without breaking. To make, you must break.

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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