諺語 · a single proverb
比上不足，比下有餘
Simplified: 比上不足，比下有余
What does 比上不足，比下有餘 (bǐ shàng bù zú bǐ xià yǒu yú) mean?
比上不足，比下有餘 (bǐ shàng bù zú bǐ xià yǒu yú) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "compared to those above, not enough; compared to those below, more than enough." In use it means: A realistic middle-ground assessment of your position; you are doing better than some and worse than others. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Goat.
Literally: "compared to those above, not enough; compared to those below, more than enough."
The reading
Look up and you are falling behind. Look down and you are ahead. Both views are true and neither is complete. The healthiest perspective is the one that holds both at once: room to grow upward, reason to be grateful for what is already beneath your feet. The middle is not mediocrity. The middle is the only position that sees in both directions.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Jin Shu 晉書; common folk proverb of balanced perspective
Sits beside
井底之蛙
jǐng dǐ zhī wā
Someone with an extremely narrow view of the world, who mistakes the small circle of sky above the well for the whole sky.
冰凍三尺，非一日之寒
bīng dòng sān chǐ, fēi yī rì zhī hán
Nothing deep-a skill, a habit, a ruin-forms overnight.
心急吃不了熱豆腐
xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòu fu
Impatience will not speed things up.
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Humility & Self-Mastery, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Goat, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 比上不足，比下有餘 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 比上不足，比下有餘 (bǐ shàng bù zú bǐ xià yǒu yú) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Jin Shu 晉書; common folk proverb of balanced perspective. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 比上不足，比下有餘?
In Mandarin it is bǐ shàng bù zú bǐ xià yǒu yú. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 比上不足，比下有餘 aloud in Mandarin.