What is the Confucian Chinese name for the Doctrine of the Mean?

The Confucian Chinese name for the Doctrine of the Mean is Zhongyong.

Zhongyong is one of the Four Books of Confucianism. The title is commonly translated as “Doctrine of the Mean,” “中庸,” or “The Mean.” In Confucian thought, it concerns balanced conduct, moral self-cultivation, and acting appropriately in changing circumstances.

The text was traditionally associated with Zisi, the grandson of Confucius, although its final formation reflects a longer history of transmission and editing. Zhu Xi, the influential Song-dynasty Neo-Confucian scholar, selected it as one of the Four Books and wrote a major commentary on it.

The term does not simply mean compromise or avoiding strong opinions. Its ideal is a disciplined moral balance in which emotions and actions are properly expressed according to circumstances. It is therefore distinct from Daxue, the Great Learning, and Lunyu, the Analects.