extreme joy begets sorrow; when joy reaches its limit, sorrow follows
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesidiom
extreme joy begets sorrow; a turn from great happiness to great sadness
literaryThis idiom comes from Chinese philosophy and literature, expressing the idea that things will reverse after reaching an extreme. It serves as a warning against excessive indulgence or overconfidence.
Tā他
gāng刚
yíng赢
dé得
guàn冠
jūn军
jiù就
shòu受
le了
zhòng重
shāng伤
，
zhēn真
shì是
lè乐
jí极
shēng生
bēi悲
。
He got seriously injured right after winning the championship, truly a case of extreme joy begetting sorrow.
Qìng庆
zhù祝
pài派
duì对
tài太
chǎo吵
nào闹
，
lín邻
jū居
bào报
jǐng警
le了
，
zhēn真
shì是
lè乐
jí极
shēng生
bēi悲
。
The celebration party was too noisy, and the neighbors called the police—it's a classic case of joy turning to grief.
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Gǔ古
rén人
shuō说
“
lè乐
jí极
shēng生
bēi悲
”
，
tí提
xǐng醒
wǒ我
men们
yào要
dǒng懂
dé得
jié节
zhì制
。
The ancients said 'extreme joy begets sorrow,' reminding us to practice moderation.
Tā他
zhòng中
le了
dà大
jiǎng奖
hòu后
huī挥
huò霍
wú无
dù度
，
zuì最
hòu后
pò破
chǎn产
，
yìng应
le了
lè乐
jí极
shēng生
bēi悲
zhè这
jù句
huà话
。
After winning the lottery, he spent extravagantly and eventually went bankrupt, proving the saying 'when joy reaches its limit, sorrow follows.'