too much humility is pride; taking pride in one's humility is a form of bragging
Proverb warning that excessive self-deprecation can be a subtle way of seeking praise or showing off one's modesty.
He's always putting himself down, but that's a case of 'too much humility is pride.'
「私なんてまだまだです」と言いながら、実は自慢したいだけかもしれない。卑下も自慢のうちというからね。
Saying 'I'm still not good enough' might actually be a way of bragging. As they say, humility can be a form of pride.
Most common modern spelling of this proverb.
Variant using 中 instead of うち; less common.
Variant using 内; kanji form of うち, but the kana spelling is more usual.
A Japanese proverb combining 卑下 (self-deprecation), も (also), 自慢 (pride/boasting), and のうち (within). The exact origin is uncertain, but it reflects a common cultural observation about false modesty.