A method for cleaving a bisphenol which comprises: (1) a cleavage step comprising feeding a mixture of a bisphenol and derivatives of chroman and flavan which are by-produced during the production of a bisphenol to a cleavage reactor and effecting cleavage reactions in the presence of a basic or acidic catalyst at 150 to 260 DEG C under a reduced pressure of 300 mmHg or less, (2) a distillation step comprising feeding the products of the cleavage reactions to a distillation column in a gaseous state and conducting a distillation at 130 to 200 DEG C under a reduced pressure of 300 mmHg or less, and (3) a reflux step comprising condensing the distillate from the distillation step, recycling a part of the resultant condensate to the distillation step at a reflux ratio of 0.01 to 3 and drawing out the rest of the condensate to the outside of the system. The method can be employed for producing a product containing isopropenyl phenol and phenol with high purity.
