📖 Meaning
This idiom comes from the Book of Changes, where the hexagram Bo (剥) symbolizes yin at its peak and yang in decline, while the hexagram Fu (复) symbolizes yin reaching its limit and yang returning. It describes how things reverse once they reach their extreme: when a situation is at its very worst, recovery has already begun.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase appears in Liang Qichao's essay 'On the Sources of China's Weakness' (中国积弱溯源论), written during the late Qing dynasty. In it the reformer invokes the philosophy of the Book of Changes (易经): 'When Bo reaches its extreme, Fu returns; when Pi reaches its extreme, Tai comes.' He used this to warn that China's weakness had perhaps not yet reached its absolute limit, and called for deep reflection.
💡 Example Usage
这家企业连年亏损，但剥极则复，今年终于开始盈利了。
This company suffered years of losses, but once things hit their lowest point, recovery began — this year it finally started turning a profit.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 剥极则复
- Pinyin: bō jí zé fù
- Literal Translation: Bo (stripping) reaches its extreme, then Fu (return) follows
- Category: Recovery
- Characters: 4