不 破 不 立

bù pò bù lìdictionary entry

without destruction there can be no construction

Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-6e52fd9510061c07. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

不破不立不破不立 [bu4 po4 bu4 li4] /without destruction there can be no construction/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

不
bù
no / not so / (bound form) not / un-
破
pò
broken / damaged / worn out / lousy / rotten / to break, split or cleave / to get rid of / to destroy / to break with / to defeat / to capture (a city etc) / to expose the truth of
不
bù
no / not so / (bound form) not / un-
立
lì
to stand / to set up / to establish / to lay down / to draw up / at once / immediately
Lì
surname Li

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.