矫枉过正

矯枉過正

jiǎowǎngguòzhèng

idiom #43,199

Meanings

1 to overcorrect a bent thing past straight
2 to overcompensate
3 to go too far in fixing an error

Characters

to straighten; to correct

to exceed; past

straight; correct

Examples

为了避免迟到而提前两小时到达，未免矫枉过正。

Wèile bìmiǎn chídào ér tíqián liǎng xiǎoshí dàodá, wèimiǎn jiǎo wǎng guò zhèng.

Arriving two hours early just to avoid being late is overcorrecting.

新规定虽然出发点好，但有矫枉过正之嫌。

Xīn guīdìng suīrán chūfādiǎn hǎo, dàn yǒu jiǎo wǎng guò zhèng zhī xián.

The new rules have good intentions, but they smack of overcorrection.

处罚太重就成了矫枉过正，反而打击士气。

Chǔfá tài zhòng jiù chéngle jiǎo wǎng guò zhèng, fǎn'ér dǎjī shìqì.

Punishment that's too harsh becomes overcompensation and ends up hurting morale.

Tips

history

From the 《后汉书·仲长统传》 (Book of the Later Han): in trying to set things right after a chaotic age, reformers fall into 矫枉过正 — bending the bent stick so far the other way that it's bent again.

memory

Picture straightening a bent (枉) stick: push too hard and you've now bent it the other direction (过正 = past straight). The mistake isn't the correction, it's the excess.

Stroke Order

矫 jiǎo

枉 wǎng

过 guò

正 zhèng