中庸 zhōngyōng golden mean (Confucianism)
golden mean (Confucianism); (literary) (of person) mediocre; ordinary; the Doctrine of the Mean, one of the Four Books 四书
How to remember 中庸: 中 middle + 庸 usual = golden mean (Confucianism).
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How it is used
- The Confucian golden mean - moderation, avoiding extremes - 中庸之道 (zhōngyōng zhī dào) the doctrine of the mean.
- As a philosophy term it's respected; but describing a person as 中庸 can mean 'mediocre, unremarkable'.
- Also the title of the Confucian classic 《中庸》, one of the Four Books.