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中庸 (zhōng yōng) — (noun) the golden mean; the doctrine of the mean (Confucian philosophy of moderation); (adjective) mediocre; ordinary (of a person, often derogatory)

Definition

中庸 is a Confucian term for the 'doctrine of the mean' — moderation as a moral ideal, not just 'average'. As a criticism of a person, it means timid and mediocre, weaker and more negative than 平庸.

noun
the golden meanthe doctrine of the mean (Confucian philosophy of moderation)
adjective
mediocreordinary (of a person, often derogatory)

Examples

  • 中庸。
    Rú jiā rèn wéi zhōng yōng shì zuì gāo dào dé biāo zhǔn.
    Confucianism considers the golden mean to be the highest moral standard.
  • 中庸，。
    Tā zhè ge rén tài zhōng yōng le, shén me dōu bù gǎn zuò.
    This person is too mediocre — he doesn't dare to do anything.
  • 中庸，。
    Zuò shì jiǎng jiu zhōng yōng, jì bú guò fēn yě bú tài shǎo.
    When doing things, one should aim for the golden mean — neither too much nor too little.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

中zhōngmiddle
庸yōngordinary

The senses of 中 and 庸 run parallel, together expressing a balanced, ordinary way.

Characters in this word

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

The original picture showed a flagpole with a drum in the middle, set up in the center of a field.

Open 中 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
庚庚gēng
Sound part声符shēngfú
同
同tóng庸yōng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

庸 is built from 庚 and 同, with 同 giving the sound. It probably originally meant a large bell.

Open 庸 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract ConceptsChinese Culture & Customs

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