中庸之为德也，其至矣乎！——《论语》
The virtue (品德) of the golden mean (中庸）is a perfect state of equilibrium (平衡)!—The Analects of Confucius (孔子)
(Translated by Zhao Yanchun)
Confucius came up with many great ideas. But what's (well-known) one? That may be the idea of the golden mean. What's (it) real meaning?
Chang Sheng, a Chinese teacher at the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China, once (give) his own idea about the golden mean. Zhongyong, the golden mean, is an interesting topic. Confucius spoke (high) of it. He saw it as a very important virtue. However, people often misunderstand it. People often think it means not doing your best.
But key point of the golden mean is to stay moderate (适中的), neither too little nor too much. The character "zhong" means to be moderate when you talk and do things. "Yong" (have) two meanings — being common and unchanging.
This way of thinking is useful in our (day) lives. For example, when we do exercise, we can't do too much every time. we exercise too much, we might get hurt. But it doesn't mean we should never exercise. The key is to walk a fine line (把握分寸).
The Chinese nation has always believed the golden mean. President Xi Jinping said we should respect other nations. We should be confident but not too arrogant (自负的) in (culture) exchanges.
