We and the Earth - Guess: The old saying "If you compare yourself to the above, you will have more than enough," the comparison is about: calligraphy.
Analysis
Compared with the superior, less than the inferior, more than sufficient. The original comparison was in calligraphy. The source is the judgment of the third assistant of Zhao Qi in the Han Dynasty: "The superior is inferior to Cui Du, and the inferior is more than Luo Zhao." Wren's Fu by Zhang Hua of Jin Dynasty: "Compare the deficiency above and the excess below". Spring and Autumn Period·Laozi's "Tai Sheng Shui": "The sky is not enough to reach the northwest, and the lower part is higher to be strong; the earth is not lower than the southeast, and the upper part is low to be weak. If it is not lower than the upper part, there will be more than the lower part, and if it is not lower than the lower part, there will be more than the upper part." ”
Being less than the superior and more than the inferior is a comforting word for those who are satisfied with the status quo and do not work hard to make progress. Sometimes it is also used to persuade people to be content.
The allusion of "not as good as the superior but more than the inferior"
Cui Ziyu and Du Bodu were famous calligraphers in the previous generation, and they were famous for their cursive script. The two calligraphers Luo Hui and Zhao Xi lived in a later era than Du Bodu. A man named Zhang Boying was a contemporary of Luo and Zhao.
He was proud and complacent. He often laughed at Luo and Zhao for their poor calligraphy. He even wrote to his friend Zhu Ci, saying that he was "not as good as Cui and Du at the top, but more than Luo and Zhao at the bottom." ". This means that although his handwriting is not as good as Cui Ziyu and Du Bodu, it is more than enough than Luo Hui and Zhao Xi. The first half of the sentence is false modesty, because Cui and Du were already famous calligraphers in the previous dynasty. To say that they are inferior is of course a last resort, but the second half of the sentence is obviously to belittle others and elevate themselves.
Later, Zhang Boying’s saying evolved into “If you compare with the superiors, you are not enough, but if you compare with the inferiors, there is more than enough”, and became widely circulated. It often refers to an intermediate state between good and not bad. However, the meaning is different depending on the occasion when it is used. Sometimes it means that one is satisfied with the current situation; sometimes it is used to comfort others, and sometimes it is used in its original meaning to brag.