过犹不及 guò yóu bù jí — going too far is as bad as not going far enough

过犹不及
guò yóu bù jí

Characters: 过 · 犹 · 不 · 及

Definitions

  1. going too far is as bad as not going far enough

More definitions

CC-CEDICT

  1. too far is as bad as not enough (idiom, from the Analects)

ExtDict

  1. 过：过分
  2. 犹：象
  3. 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。

Examples

  • 做事要把握分寸，过犹不及。

    In doing things, keep the measure; going too far is as bad as falling short.

  • 补身体也得适量，过犹不及。

    Nourishing the body must be moderate; excess is as bad as deficiency.