Can I use ～にすぎない for something not getting past some (low) level?


So the ～にすぎない grammar is used when you mean something doesn't get past some
(high) level. Can I use it to mean something doesn't get too low, in a phrase
such as 「自分の国の冬は、低温が15度に過ぎない。」? (meaning, the minimum temperature never goes
under 15 degrees)




You seem to be asking whether or not `に過ぎない` can be naturally used to express
the _lower bound_ of something. The answer to this is no, for multiple
reasons.

First of all, when talking about exceeding/going past something specific, you
want `を過ぎる`, but even then `過ぎる` means something closer to English's `go past`
than it does `exceed`. You can see examples
[here](https://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=%E3%82%92%E9%81%8E%E3%81%8E%E3%82%8B),
but it's most often used for passing by or through something, either
temporally (such as passing your peak) or physically (such as passing a car).
The closest example I can find to what you are trying to do is a webpage
[here](https://www.jalan.net/yad355902/blog/entry0001028385.html?targetPgId=USW3512)
that says `マイナス５度を過ぎると。。。`, but I am fairly certain this only works because
the negative number is in some sense growing in size - a little like English's
`get past negative 5`. `を過ぎる` cannot generally be used to talk about something
decreasing or being lower.

Second of all, `に過ぎない` is a set phrase meaning something like `to be nothing
more than`. This is touched on briefly
[here](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/56300/are-%E3%81%A7%E3%81%97%E3%81%8B%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84-and-%E3%81%AB%E3%81%99%E3%81%8E%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84-synonymous-
or-is-there-some-connotation) and you can also see examples
[here](https://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=%EF%BD%9E%E3%81%AB%E3%81%99%E3%81%8E%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84&ref=wl),
but the point is that `15度に過ぎない` doesn't mean `doesn't go past 15 degrees`, it
means `a mere 15 degrees`. Note that `過ぎる` can (as you may know) also be
attached to verbs and is used in several other set expressions.

All that said, for talking about a value that a temperature doesn't get higher
than, I would in general use
[超える](https://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=%E3%82%92%E8%B6%85%E3%81%88%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84)
which is a lot like English's `exceed`. For talking about a value that a
temperature doesn't drop below, your best choice is probably
[下回る](https://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=%E4%B8%8B%E5%9B%9E%E3%82%8B).
[上回る](https://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=%E4%B8%8A%E5%9B%9E%E3%82%8B) is also fine
in place of `超える`.




You seem to be asking whether or not `に過ぎない` can be naturally used to express
the _lower bound_ of something. The answer to this is no, for multiple
reasons.

First of all, when talking about exceeding/going past something specific, you
want `を過ぎる`, but even then `過ぎる` means something closer to English's `go past`
than it does `exceed`. You can see examples
[here](https://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=%E3%82%92%E9%81%8E%E3%81%8E%E3%82%8B),
but it's most often used for passing by or through something, either
temporally (such as passing your peak) or physically (such as passing a car).
The closest example I can find to what you are trying to do is a webpage
[here](https://www.jalan.net/yad355902/blog/entry0001028385.html?targetPgId=USW3512)
that says `マイナス５度を過ぎると。。。`, but I am fairly certain this only works because
the negative number is in some sense growing in size - a little like English's
`get past negative 5`. `を過ぎる` cannot generally be used to talk about something
decreasing or being lower.

Second of all, `に過ぎない` is a set phrase meaning something like `to be nothing
more than`. This is touched on briefly
[here](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/56300/are-%E3%81%A7%E3%81%97%E3%81%8B%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84-and-%E3%81%AB%E3%81%99%E3%81%8E%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84-synonymous-
or-is-there-some-connotation) and you can also see examples
[here](https://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=%EF%BD%9E%E3%81%AB%E3%81%99%E3%81%8E%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84&ref=wl),
but the point is that `15度に過ぎない` doesn't mean `doesn't go past 15 degrees`, it
means `a mere 15 degrees`. Note that `過ぎる` can (as you may know) also be
attached to verbs and is used in several other set expressions.

All that said, for talking about a value that a temperature doesn't get higher
than, I would in general use
[超える](https://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=%E3%82%92%E8%B6%85%E3%81%88%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84)
which is a lot like English's `exceed`. For talking about a value that a
temperature doesn't drop below, your best choice is probably
[下回る](https://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=%E4%B8%8B%E5%9B%9E%E3%82%8B).
[上回る](https://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=%E4%B8%8A%E5%9B%9E%E3%82%8B) is also fine
in place of `超える`.

