Lun Yu – The Analects of Confucius

Comparison of Shih and Shang. Excess and defect equally wrong.
1. Tsze-kung asked which of the two, Shih or Shang, was the superior. The Master said, "Shih goes beyond the due mean, and Shang does not come up to it."
2. "Then," said Tsze-kung, "the superiority is with Shih, I suppose."
3. The Master said, "To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short."

Legge XI.15.

Tzu-kung asked, 'Who is superior, Shih or Shang?' The Master said, 'Shih overshoots the mark; Shang falls short.'
'Does that mean that Shih is in fact better?'
The Master said, 'There is little to choose between overshooting the mark and falling short.'

Lau [11:16]

Tzeu koung demanda lequel des deux était le plus sage, de Cheu ou de Chang. Le Maître répondit : « Cheu va au-delà des limites ; Chang reste en deçà. » Tzeu koung reprit : « D'après cela, Cheu l'emporte-t-il sur Chang ? » Le Maître répondit : « Dépasser les limites n'est pas un moindre défaut que de rester en deçà. »

Couvreur XI.15.