📖 Meaning
The idiom describes the principle that when something reaches its fullest state, decline becomes inevitable. It draws on the imagery of the moon, which begins to wane the moment it becomes perfectly full. It expresses the philosophical concept that extremes inevitably reverse.
📜 Origin Story
No specific classical source is recorded for this idiom, but it reflects deeply rooted Chinese philosophical thought on the cyclical nature of all things. The idea parallels concepts found in Daoist texts such as the Dao De Jing, where the natural alternation of fullness and emptiness is observed as a universal law. The metaphor of the waxing and waning moon serves as the central image, illustrating that peak completion and decline are inseparable.
💡 Example Usage
他深知盈则必亏的道理，所以在事业最辉煌时仍保持着谦逊。
Understanding that what is full must inevitably wane, he remained humble even at the height of his career.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 盈则必亏
- Pinyin: yíng zé bì kuī
- Literal Translation: full, then, must, wane
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4