中庸之道 The Doctrine of the Mean

一yì提到tídào“中庸zhōngyōng”，很多hěn duō人rén立刻lìkè联想到liánxiǎng dào平庸píngyōng、圆滑yuánhuá，甚至shènzhì和稀泥huò xīní。

The moment 'the Mean' is mentioned, many people think of mediocrity, slickness, even spineless fence-sitting.

这zhè实在shízài是shì一场yì chǎng持续chíxù了le两千liǎngqiān年nián的de误会wùhuì。

This is truly a misunderstanding that has lasted two thousand years.

孔子Kǒngzǐ所suǒ说shuō的de中庸zhōngyōng，核心héxīn是shì“过犹不及guò yóu bù jí”：事情shìqing做zuò得de过头guòtóu，与yǔ做zuò得de不够bú gòu，同样tóngyàng有害yǒuhài。

The Mean that Confucius spoke of centers on 'excess is as bad as deficiency': overdoing a thing and underdoing it are equally harmful.

中庸zhōngyōng并非bìngfēi没有méiyǒu立场lìchǎng，而是érshì在zài两个liǎng gè极端jíduān之间zhījiān找到zhǎodào恰到好处qià dào hǎo chù的de那个nàge支点zhīdiǎn。

The Mean is by no means the absence of a stance; it is finding, between two extremes, the fulcrum that is exactly right.

就像jiùxiàng熬áo一锅yì guō汤tāng，火huǒ太tài猛měng会huì烧干shāogān，火huǒ太tài小xiǎo则zé煮不熟zhǔ bu shú，好hǎo厨师chúshī讲究jiǎngjiu的de是shì火候huǒhou。

It is like simmering a pot of soup: too fierce a flame boils it dry, too low a flame leaves it raw — what a good chef cares about is the control of heat.

现代xiàndài生活shēnghuó里lǐ，这种zhè zhǒng分寸感fēncùngǎn处处chùchù可见kějiàn：工作gōngzuò要yào拼pīn，但dàn不能bù néng拼到pīn dào透支tòuzhī健康jiànkāng；待人dàirén要yào真诚zhēnchéng，但dàn不必búbì句句jùjù直言不讳zhí yán bú huì。

In modern life this sense of proportion is everywhere: work hard, but not to the point of overdrawing your health; be sincere with people, but you need not be brutally blunt in every sentence.

网络wǎngluò时代shídài盛行shèngxíng非黑即白fēi hēi jí bái的de争论zhēnglùn，人们rénmen急于jíyú站队zhànduì，中间zhōngjiān地带dìdài反而fǎn'ér成了chéngle最zuì孤独gūdú的de位置wèizhi。

In the internet age, black-or-white debates prevail and people rush to pick a side; the middle ground, paradoxically, has become the loneliest place to stand.

然而rán'ér，真理zhēnlǐ往往wǎngwǎng不bú住zhù在zài两端liǎngduān的de喇叭lǎba里lǐ，而ér住zhù在zài安静ānjìng的de中间zhōngjiān。

Yet truth seldom lives in the loudspeakers at either end; it lives in the quiet middle.

中庸zhōngyōng不是bú shì不敢bù gǎn走zǒu极端jíduān，而是érshì有yǒu能力nénglì走zǒu极端jíduān却què选择xuǎnzé克制kèzhì；这zhè才cái是shì它tā最zuì高级gāojí的de地方dìfang。

The Mean is not lacking the courage to go to extremes; it is having the power to go to extremes and choosing restraint — and that is what makes it so refined.

🔊 Audio uses your device's Chinese voice for now — teacher recordings are coming. Tap any word to see its meaning.

Key words 生词

中庸zhōngyōngthe Mean; the middle way

平庸píngyōngmediocre; mediocrity

过犹不及guò yóu bù jígoing too far is as bad as falling short

火候huǒhoucontrol of heat; timing

分寸感fēncùngǎnsense of proportion

克制kèzhìrestraint; to restrain

Grammar note 语法点

A……，B 则……

Literary 则 contrasts two parallel clauses ('whereas; then'): 火太猛会烧干，火太小则煮不熟。

南方多雨，北方则干燥。— The south is rainy, whereas the north is dry.

不是……，而是……

'not A, but rather B' — corrects a misconception; the literary twin is 并非……而是……。中庸不是不敢走极端，而是选择克制。

他沉默不是因为无话可说，而是因为不屑争辩。— His silence was not for lack of words, but from disdain for arguing.

Check yourself 小测验

1. What do many people mistakenly associate the Mean with?

2. In the soup analogy, what is a good chef most particular about?

3. According to the closing line, the Mean at its best is what?

中庸之道Zhōngyōng zhī dàoThe Doctrine of the Mean

Key words 生词

Grammar note 语法点

Check yourself 小测验

More HSK 6 reading practice