比上不足，比下有余 / 比上不足，比下有餘

bǐ​shàng​bù​zú​bǐ​xià​yǒu​yú

middling

(proverb) Neither the best nor the worst; to be in a middle position; can also be used to encourage someone to be content with their lot.

比 (literal) → 比 · bǐ · to compare 上 (literal) → 上 · shàng · upper 不足 (literal) → 不足 · bù​zú · insufficient ， (non_chinese) 比 (literal) → 比 · bǐ · to compare 下 (literal) → 下 · xià · inferior 有余 (literal) → 有余/有餘 · yǒu​yú · to have extra

Changed: simplified, traditional, gloss, definition, pinyin, variant pinyin, variants, separable parts, decomposition

created sense May 20, 2026, 07:57 PM