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

過ぎたるは尚及ばざるが如し (sugitaru wa nao oyobazaru ga gotoshi): having gone too far is just like not having reached.

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 scroll carries; as a Japanese proverb it mostly scolds excess, the fault people see more of, so a person who hangs 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.

Your scroll is brushed when you order it and completed within 1 to 3 business days. It ships by USPS Priority Mail from Master Takase's studio in Washington State, boxed and ready to hang, with a printed page giving the art's English, romaji and Japanese.

Sending it as a gift? Tell us when you order and we will include your message.

Shipping is calculated at checkout from your address; within the United States it is $13 to $22. We ship worldwide, and any import charges for your country are shown at checkout before you pay.

Every order is covered by our 30-day money-back guarantee. If your scroll arrives damaged, or we made an error, we replace it or refund you in full, including shipping. Refund policy

Master Japanese Calligrapher Eri Takase brushes your scroll by hand when you order it. Each scroll bears her red seal, 英利, and her signature.

The scrolls are 12 1/4" W × 43" H (31 × 109 cm) with real silk borders and Japanese paper that are layered so the scroll hangs straight and will not warp over time. The scrolls themselves are made by Sankō (株式会社三幸) in Gifu prefecture, which has been making high quality scrolls since 1947, and we have worked with Sankō for over two decades.

Eri Takase was born and raised in Osaka, Japan, and holds the rank of Shihan, the highest rank in Japanese calligraphy, from the Bokuteki-kai and the Bunka-shodo. About Master Takase