without rules, nothing can be done (idiom, from Mencius); one must follow some rules
trad. 不以規矩，不能成方圓
Also written 不以規矩，不能成方圓【bù yǐ guī ju , bù néng chéng fāng yuán】
Characters in this word
8不
Strokes: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0
no; not so, (bound form) not; un-
- Pinyin
- bù
- Strokes
- 4
- Frequency
- 9 of 2500
以
Strokes: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0
old variant of 以[yi3]
- Pinyin
- yǐ
- Traditional
- 㕥
- Strokes
- 4
- Frequency
- 367 of 2500
规
Strokes: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0
variant of 規|规[gui1]
- Pinyin
- guī
- Traditional
- 槼
- Strokes
- 8
矩
Strokes: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0
variant of 矩[ju3]
- Pinyin
- jǔ
- Traditional
- 榘
- Strokes
- 9
能
Strokes: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0
surname Neng
- Pinyin
- Néng
- Strokes
- 10
- Frequency
- 53 of 2500
成
Strokes: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0
surname Cheng, short name for Chengdu 成都[Cheng2 du1]
- Pinyin
- Chéng
- Strokes
- 6
- Frequency
- 677 of 2500
方
Strokes: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0
surname Fang
- Pinyin
- Fāng
- Strokes
- 4
- Frequency
- 6309 of 2500
圆
Strokes: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0
circle, round, circular, spherical, (of the moon) full, unit of Chinese currency (yuan), tactful, to make consistent and whole (the narrative of a dream or a lie)
- Pinyin
- yuán
- Traditional
- 圓
- Strokes
- 10
- Frequency
- 8632 of 2500