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牢不可破 (láo bù kě pò) — (idiom) unbreakable, indestructible (of bonds, alliances, beliefs, etc.)

Definition

A four-character idiom (成语) meaning something is so solid it cannot be broken — usually used for abstract bonds, alliances, or beliefs rather than physical objects.

idiom
unbreakableindestructible (of bonds, alliances, beliefs, etc.)

Examples

  • 牢不可破，。
    Tā men zhī jiān de yǒu yì láo bù kě pò, jīng lì le wú shù fēng yǔ.
    The friendship between them is unbreakable, having weathered countless storms.
  • 牢不可破，。
    Zhè ge guó jiā de guó fáng tǐ xì láo bù kě pò, dí rén wú fǎ gōng pò.
    This country's defense system is indestructible; the enemy cannot breach it.
  • 牢不可破，。
    Tā duì lǐ xiǎng de xìn niàn láo bù kě pò, cóng wèi dòng yáo guò.
    His belief in his ideals is unbreakable; he has never wavered.

Origin

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 宀宀miánpen; animal yard
  • 牛牛niúcow

牢 places 牛, a cow, under 宀, a pen or animal yard.

Open 牢 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
丂
丂kǎo可kě
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

可 pairs 口 (mouth) with 丂 as a sound part; it is tied to air from the mouth, perhaps singing.

Open 可 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
石石shí
Sound part声符shēngfú
皮
皮pí破pò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

破 has 石 (stone) as its meaning part and 皮 as its sound part.

Open 破 →
Appears in
Abstract ConceptsIdioms & Set Phrases

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