过犹不及
guò yóu bù jí
too much is as bad as too little
Character by character
过guò
overshoot
overshoot
犹yóu
like
like
不bù
not
not
及jí
reach
reach
Example
锻炼是好事,但过犹不及。
Exercise is good, but you can overdo it.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
From the Analects: overshooting is as bad as falling short.
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