不拘一格

Pronunciation: bù jū yī gé Literal meaning: Not restricted to one standard

Origin & Usage

Gong Zizhen, in the year 1839, wrote a poem asking heaven to rouse itself and send down talent 不拘一格 — not confined (不拘) to a single (一) mould (格). China was on the edge of the Opium War, and the poem opens on a country where ten thousand horses stand mute — 万马齐喑 — which is the silence the talent is wanted to break. 格 is a frame or a set form. The line became one of the most quoted in modern Chinese, and the phrase is now standard in arguments about hiring, admissions and the recognition of unconventional ability.

Examples

English: "Her innovative approach to solving problems showed that creativity knows no bounds."

Chinese: 她创新的解决问题的方法表明，创造力不拘一格。