Confucius advocated the Doctrine of the Mean

If there were three sequential options right now, the Chinese would most likely choose the one in the middle - that's how the Chinese joke about themselves. Unsurprisingly, this is also related to the thinking of Confucius, but in fact it is never as simple as "choosing the middle".

Confucius advocated the Doctrine of the Mean, and opposed any overdoing and falling short; he advocated a harmonious atmosphere in human relations, but opposed echoing others’ views blindly. The methodology of the mean established by Confucius is characterized by admitting and reconciling contradictions, achieving a unity and harmony of antagonistic sides. In application, it requires an adequate, measured treatment of any problem, and propriety in dealing with the various sides of a contradiction.