📖 Meaning
When a vessel is filled to the brim, it will tip over and spill. This metaphor describes how things that exceed their proper bounds inevitably turn toward the opposite extreme. It specifically warns that arrogance and self-satisfaction lead to downfall.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase derives from ancient Chinese philosophical thought about the reversal of extremes, a central concept in Daoist wisdom found in texts such as the Laozi (Daodejing). The image of a vessel that overturns when overfilled appears in classical admonitions against pride and excess. A related version, '器满将覆,' appears in historical literature. The saying encapsulates the traditional Chinese belief that excessive fullness or arrogance inevitably leads to loss and ruin.
💡 Example Usage
他在事业巅峰时骄傲自大，正应了器满则覆的道理，很快便一败涂地。
At the peak of his career he became arrogant and conceited; true to the principle that a full vessel overturns, he soon met with total defeat.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 器满则覆
- Pinyin: qì mǎn zé fù
- Literal Translation: vessel, full, then, overturn
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4