没有规矩，何以成方圆

沒有規矩，何以成方圓

méiyǒuguījǔ,héyǐchéngfāngyuán

idiom

Meanings

1 without rules, how can anything be done?
2 rules are necessary for order

Characters

carpenter's square, rule

to, by means of

to form, become

Examples

没有规矩，何以成方圆？公司必须有制度。

Méiyǒu guījǔ, héyǐ chéng fāngyuán? Gōngsī bìxū yǒu zhìdù.

Without rules, how can things take shape? A company must have a system.

教育孩子也要讲规矩，没有规矩，何以成方圆。

Jiàoyù háizi yě yào jiǎng guījǔ, méiyǒu guījǔ, héyǐ chéng fāngyuán.

Raising children also requires rules — without them, how can anything take proper form?

Tips

history

Adapted from Mencius《孟子·离娄上》: '不以规矩，不能成方圆' — without compass and square, you can't make true circles or squares. 规 = compass, 矩 = carpenter's square; together they generalize to 'rules'.

usage

More common in modern usage as 没有规矩，不成方圆 (méiyǒu guījǔ, bù chéng fāngyuán). The 何以 form is slightly more literary/rhetorical.

Stroke Order

没 méi

有 yǒu

规 guī

矩 jǔ

何 hé

以 yǐ

成 chéng

方 fāng

圆 yuán