过犹不及 — “Going too far is as bad as not going far enough”
过犹不及 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Going too far is as bad as not going far enough”. Exceeding the proper limit is as detrimental as falling short. Literally, “Exceeding is like not reaching; overdoing is like falling short”.
Frequency
过犹不及 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 过guò
- 犹yóu
- 不bù
- 及jí
过犹不及 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 过犹不及
做任何事情都要把握好分寸，过犹不及，否则会适得其反。
When doing anything, you must grasp the proper measure; going too far is as bad as not going far enough, otherwise it will be counterproductive.
Origin and Story of 过犹不及
During the Spring and Autumn period, Zigong, a disciple of Confucius, once asked his master which of his fellow students, Zizhang or Zixia, was more virtuous.
Confucius replied that Zizhang often went beyond the prescribed rituals of the Zhou dynasty, while Zixia frequently failed to meet them.
Zigong then inquired if Zizhang, by exceeding, was therefore superior. Confucius responded, 'Going too far is as bad as not going far enough' (过犹不及), implying that both extremes yield the same undesirable outcome.
Idioms Related to 过犹不及
Antonyms of 过犹不及
More idioms starting with 过
- guò过wéi为yǐ已shèn甚To go too far
- guò过le了zhè这gè个cūn村，，méi没zhè这ge个diàn店Seize this rare opportunity
- guò过wǔ五guān关zhǎn斩liù六jiàng将overcome numerous formidable obstacles
- guò过wǔ五guān关，，zhǎn斩liù六jiāng将overcome many challenges
- guò过cóng从shèn甚mì密frequent close interactions
- guò过guān关zhǎn斩jiàng将overcome all obstacles and defeat all opponents
- guò过zé则wù勿dàn惮gǎi改Don't fear correcting your mistakes
- guò过huà化cún存shén神profoundly influence and spiritually enlighten
- guò过qù去wèi未lái来past and future
- guò过tú屠dà大jué嚼console oneself with wishful thinking
- guò过tú屠mén门ér而dà大jué嚼console oneself with imaginary satisfaction
- guò过shì市zhāo招yáo摇swagger ostentatiously in public
Questions about 过犹不及
- What does 过犹不及 mean?
- 过犹不及 (guò yóu bù jí) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Going too far is as bad as not going far enough”.
- How do you pronounce 过犹不及?
- 过犹不及 is pronounced guò yóu bù jí in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 过犹不及 literally mean?
- Literally, 过犹不及 means “Exceeding is like not reaching; overdoing is like falling short”. It is used to mean “Going too far is as bad as not going far enough”.
- Where does 过犹不及 come from?
- 过犹不及 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 过犹不及?
- 过：过分；犹：象；不及：达不到。事情做得过头，就跟做得不够一样，都是不合适的。