golden mean
- noun
- /ˈɡoʊldən miːn/
- In her debate, she emphasized the importance of the golden mean, suggesting that moderation leads to the best decisions.
It's found in the Buddhist's middle way, and it's in Aristotle's golden mean.
- It's found in the Buddhist's middle way, and it's in Aristotle's golden mean.
- So the, the golden mean has stood throughout history.
Examples
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Suffering and poverty had taught her good and bad, and in her own attitudes, she kept deliberately to the golden mean.
Fiction book (1998) -
Aristotle believed that virtue lies in finding the golden mean between excess and deficiency in one’s actions.
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So the, the golden mean has stood throughout history.
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And Aristotle used to talk about the golden mean of like finding the perfect balance between two extremes of equality.
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They aimed for a golden mean in their lifestyle, balancing work and leisure for a fulfilling life.
Synonyms
An agreement both sides can accept
A middle position between two extremes
A middle choice that pleases both sides
A state of being not extreme in amount, behavior, or opinion
To be in the middle and not at either extreme
How Moderate
Surface Forms
Morphology
The words 'golden' (special/ideal) and 'mean' (average/middle) give a B1 learner a clue that this refers to some kind of 'ideal middle' or special average, so some general sense is inferable. However, the precise technical meaning as the specific proportional relationship (the golden ratio) is specialized and not predictable from the constituents alone, so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Golden mean comes from ancient thinkers who taught that the best choice is a mean, a middle way between two extremes, and that this middle is especially good or golden. So the phrase now means 'a desirable moderate position' between two extremes.