矫枉过正
jiǎo wǎng guò zhèng
to overcorrect; to go too far the other way when putting something right
Character by character
矫jiǎo
straighten
straighten
枉wǎng
crooked
crooked
过guò
beyond
beyond
正zhèng
straight
straight
Example
孩子以前玩手机太多，可一下子全面禁止，也有点矫枉过正。
The child used to be on the phone far too much, but banning it completely overnight is going a bit too far the other way.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
A favourite word in policy debate, usually as a warning: 防止矫枉过正, 不能矫枉过正. Mao Zedong’s 1927 report on the Hunan peasant movement turned it round: 矫枉必须过正, “to right a wrong you must go beyond the proper limits”.
Learn this in Lesson 155 · HSK 7–9: 吊瓶大国 (A nation of IV drips)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. This lesson is free.
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