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牢不可破

Mandarin · pinyin láo bù kě pò

(idiom) (usu. of sth abstract: an alliance, a conviction etc) unbreakable; rock-solid

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Characters in this entry

牢: láo · prison; stable, pen; secure
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
可: kě · may, can, -able; possibly
破: pò · break, ruin, destroy; rout

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

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Mandarin tones

2–4–3–4 · lao2 bu4 ke3 po4

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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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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

lou4 bat1 ho2 po3

Cantonese word readings for 牢不可破. 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

(usually of abstract things) unbreakable; indestructible

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

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