乐极生悲

Pronunciation: lè jí shēng bēi Literal meaning: Extreme joy begets sorrow

Origin & Usage

Chunyu Kun, who served King Wei of Qi and knew better than to lecture him directly, was asked how much he could drink. It depended, he said, and worked through the settings — under the king's eye a bottle, among close friends far more — until he arrived at the point: wine at its limit brings disorder, joy (乐) at its extreme (极) produces (生) grief (悲). The king, who was known for all-night drinking, took the hint and stopped. The Records of the Grand Historian keeps the exchange. The phrase is used at celebrations, half in warning and half in superstition, whenever things are going a little too well.

Examples

English: "His celebration turned into a tragedy when he received the bad news."

Chinese: 他的庆祝活动在收到坏消息后变成了悲剧。