过犹不及 (guò yóu bù jí) — going too far is as bad as not going far enough; excess is just as bad as deficiency

Definition

A chengyu warning that extremes backfire: doing too much is no better than doing too little. Use it to advise moderation.

idiom
going too far is as bad as not going far enoughexcess is just as bad as deficiency

Examples

  • ，过犹不及。
    Zuò shì yào bǎ wò hǎo fēn cùn, guò yóu bù jí.
    When doing things, you need to keep the right measure — going too far is as bad as not going far enough.
  • ，，过犹不及。
    Tā měi tiān xué xí shí jǐ gè xiǎo shí, jié guǒ shēng bìng le, zhēn shì guò yóu bù jí.
    He studied over ten hours every day and ended up getting sick — truly, going too far is as bad as not going far enough.
  • ，过犹不及。
    Duàn liàn shēn tǐ yě yào shì dù, guò yóu bù jí fǎn ér yǒu hài.
    Even exercise should be moderate — going too far is as bad as not going far enough, and it can actually be harmful.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 過; 过 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
咼
咼wāi過guò
Same sound today

The traditional form 過 pairs 辵 (walk) with 咼 as a sound component; the simplified 过 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 过 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 猶; 犹 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
犬犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
酋
酋qiú猶yóu
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 猶 combines 犬 (dog) with 酋 as a sound part, and the evidence identifies it as a kind of monkey. The simplified 犹 is a shorthand, not the historical shape.

Open 犹 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

及 pairs 人 (person) with 又 (hand), showing a hand grabbing a person.

Open 及 →

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