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-c8d6a7f3fd86cec4. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.
Original source entry:
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/Source material and teaching drafts have separate provenance. Long-term commercial licensing remains under review.
Reference information
The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.
Character information
Other forms in these source records: 不以規矩，不能成方圓
View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.