過ぎたるは尚及ばざるが如し sugitaru wa nao oyobazaru ga gotoshi Going too far is as bad as falling short

It is the Master's answer in the Analects to a clever question: asked which of two men is the better, the one who overshoots or the one who falls short, and expected to say the overshooter, Confucius answers that to go beyond is as wrong as to fall short. The line is balanced on purpose, and the balance is what the words carry; as a Japanese proverb it mostly scolds excess, the fault people see more of, so a person who chooses it may mean the rebuke to too much or the whole even measure. The English title is Arthur Waley's sentence.

The four characters close an exchange in the Analects in which a disciple, Zigong, asks Confucius to rank two of his students; the line is the Master's own answer, refusing to call either fault worse than the other.

We want you to be as happy with the meaning as you are with Master Takase's art. To learn more, visit Philology of 過ぎたるは尚及ばざるが如し.

Each design is Master Japanese Calligrapher Eri Takase's hand-brushed calligraphy of the word or phrase on this page, delivered as a PDF you can print. Every PDF includes the line art, so a tattoo artist or a craftsperson can work from the outline as well as the brushed image.

Your purchase includes a personal-use license: use the design as a tattoo reference, frame it, engrave it, print it for yourself, or make it into a gift. For more information see Licensing, which also covers commercial-use options that may be purchased separately.

Your PDF is available for download the moment your order completes, and a copy is attached to your emailed receipt.

If you need your design again later, ask us for it and we will send it.