Excess Is as Bad as Deficiency
Updated 2026-08-22
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
The principle that excess is as bad as deficiency holds that going beyond the right point is a failure of the same kind as falling short of it, and it rejects the belief that more of a good thing is always better. Transparency, diligence, and innovation each carry an optimal stopping point, past which further effort turns returns negative. The model draws on the classical doctrine of the mean and, in modern terms, on the inverted-U curve.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Find the stopping point: ask where more effort stops paying and starts costing. - Watch the curve: notice when returns flatten out and then turn negative. - Choose enough: aim for the right measure rather than the maximum amount.
Anchor fast decisions
Most goods follow an inverted-U curve, so benefit rises with the amount only up to a point and then declines. Excess and deficiency are two ways of missing the same mean, which is why both count as errors rather than as a success and a failure.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- zh.wikipedia.orghttps://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%AE%BA%E8%AF%ADverified
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