过犹不及

Pronunciation: guò yóu bù jí Literal meaning: Excess equals deficiency

Origin & Usage

Zigong asked Confucius which of two disciples was the better; one went too far and one fell short. Asked whether going too far was therefore better, Confucius answered 过犹不及 — overshooting (过) is just like (犹) falling short (不及). The point is that they are the same kind of error, not that one is preferable. That is what the phrase claims, and it is aimed at overcorrection above all, where the reply to one excess is another.

Examples

English: "The excessive marketing campaign alienated customers instead of attracting them"

Chinese: 过度的营销活动疏远了顾客，而不是吸引他们