水至清则无鱼，人至察则无徒
shuǐ​zhì​qīng​zé​wú​yú​rén​zhì​chá​zé​wú​tú

too much perfection is not a good thing

  1. 水至清则无鱼 水至清則無魚 shuǐ​zhì​qīng​zé​wú​yú
    if the water is too clear, there will be no fish
    If water is too clean, fish cannot survive; used as a metaphor to suggest that being overly strict or faultfinding will alienate others and leave one without followers or friends.
  2. ， rén
    non-Chinese
  3. 人 rén noun
    person
    person; people; human being; a human
  4. 至 zhì adverb
    extremely
    extremely; most; to the highest degree (used before adjectives)
  5. 察 chá nounverb
    to examine
    to examine closely; to observe; to inspect or investigate
  6. 则 則 zé conjunctionadverb
    then
    Used between clauses to show a logical result or consequence, often translated as "then", "in that case", or "consequently".
  7. 无 無 wú adjectiveverb
    to not have
    to not have; there is no; lack; (as prefix) non-; un-; -less
  8. 徒 tú affix
    disciple
    (bound form) disciple; apprentice; student; follower of a religion