doctrine of the mean vs golden mean

Key Takeaway: A central Confucian text (one of the Four Books) and its core philosophical concept.

A central Confucian text (one of the Four Books) and its core philosophical concept. The Mean (zhongyong) is the virtue of acting neither excessively nor deficiently but finding the fitting course in every situation — the path that aligns with one's nature, social role, and cosmic harmony. Not mere compromise but dynamic appropriateness. Attributed to Zisi (Confucius's grandson), the Mean is one of the Four Books. It is not mediocrity but the ever-shifting point of balance between extremes.

As Confucius taught in the Analects and as the Confucian tradition of virtue and self-cultivation holds, A central Confucian text (one of the Four Books) and its core philosophical concept.

— Oriens

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