乐极生悲 (lè jí shēng bēi) — extreme joy begets sorrow; too much happiness can lead to tragedy
Definition
A chengyu warning that when joy reaches its peak, it tips into sorrow — used to caution against getting carried away by success or good luck. Often paired with the advice not to 得意忘形.
idiom
extreme joy begets sorrowtoo much happiness can lead to tragedy
Examples
- ，乐极生悲，。Tā yíng le cǎi piào hòu dà sì qìng zhù, méi xiǎng dào lè jí shēng bēi, bù jiǔ jiù pò chǎn le.After winning the lottery, he celebrated wildly; unexpectedly, extreme joy begets sorrow, and he went bankrupt soon after.
- 乐极生悲，。Wǒ men yīng gāi jì zhù lè jí shēng bēi de dào lǐ, bú yào dé yì wàng xíng.We should remember the principle that extreme joy begets sorrow, and not get carried away with pride.
- ，乐极生悲，。Bǐ sài shèng lì hòu tā men guò yú xīng fèn, jié guǒ lè jí shēng bēi, zài jué sài zhōng shī lì le.After winning the match, they were too excited; as a result, extreme joy begets sorrow, and they lost in the final.
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