This is a famous saying of Mencius. The original text is "Mencius Li Lou Shang" written by Zou Mengke during the Warring States Period: "The wisdom of Li Lou is the cleverness of the master and his son. Without rules, it cannot be a square circle."

What Mencius said is: "Like In the past, a person with a shrewd eye like Li Lou and a skillful craftsman like Gongshu Bang could not draw a square circle without following rules and regulations."

Without rules, a square circle cannot be made. It is used as a predicate and attributive; used for rules, etc.; rules, Moment, two tools used to correct circles and squares, is often used as a metaphor for standard procedures.

"Nothing can be done without rules" is a saying that often emphasizes that there must be certain rules, rules and practices in doing anything, otherwise it will not be successful. It originally comes from the terminology of carpenters. "Gui" refers to a compass. Carpenters will encounter work such as making round windows, round doors, round tables, round stools, etc. Ancient craftsmen already knew how to use "Gui" to draw circles;

The "square" is also a carpentry tool, which refers to a curved ruler. The so-called curved ruler is not a curved ruler, but a ruler that is straight at right angles. It is a necessary square ruler for carpenters to make square doors, windows, tables and benches.

Without rules and regulations, of course it is impossible to make square or round things, hence the saying. However, now this proverb is no longer specific to carpenters, but has become a general term used to warn people that anything will go wrong if there are no certain rules. "rules" and "rules" are merged into a new word, and "rules" can be interpreted as certain rules, standards, norms or habits. "Fangyuan" no longer refers to square or round things, but to specific things.

Extended information:

There is no rule to form a circle, which reveals an important truth. That is, you must have rules, understand the rules, and abide by the rules in everything you do. Society is a collection of people. Social activities are human activities. motivations for people's activities.

The purposes are often different, if there is no rule to restrain them. If everyone goes their own way, society will fall into chaos and fall into disorderly chaos. From elementary school to daily interactions between neighbors, we are all subject to legal constraints at all times. Constraint this is a circle.

There is no good social atmosphere in history that relies solely on law and moral education. Therefore, in order to build a harmonious society, we must not only adhere to the rule of law, but also vigorously improve people's ideological quality. It is not only necessary for citizens to consciously abide by social ethics and be civilized and honest, but also to regulate people's behavior through the strengthening and improvement of the legal system. Only by combining self and heteronomy can a good social atmosphere be formed and society will be complete.