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liánhéSide by side

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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