idiom
bend but do not break
BEND but doo NOT BRAYK
bɛnd bʌt duː nɒt breɪkListen
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Syllable breakdown
bendbutdonotbreak
Dictionary meaning
True strength lies in flexibility and resilience under pressure, not in rigid resistance that leads to collapse
History and origin
Rooted in observations of trees and bamboo surviving storms; associated with Taoist philosophy and widely used in resilience literature
Examples
- The team's culture was to bend but not break — adapting to setbacks without losing core values.
- Like bamboo in the wind, the community learned to bend but not break through the crisis.
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