Miànduì kèhù de zhíyí, tā bùkàngbùbēi de jiěshì le qíngkuàng.
Facing the client's doubts, he explained the situation with neither defensiveness nor obsequiousness.
Tips
history
Recorded in Ming-dynasty 朱之瑜's 《答小宅生顺书》: 圣贤自有中正之道，不亢不卑 — 'sages have a way of the proper mean: neither haughty nor humble.' The phrase captures the Confucian ideal of 中庸 zhōngyōng (the doctrine of the mean) applied to interpersonal demeanor.
usage
Often interchangeable with the more common form 不卑不亢 bùbēibùkàng — same meaning, just reversed order. Both are used as praise for poised, dignified behavior, especially when dealing with people of much higher or lower status.
