不亦樂乎
Chinese
is it not also | music; happy; laugh music; happy; laugh; cheerful | (interrog. part.) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
trad. (不亦樂乎) | 不亦 | 樂 | 乎 | |
simp. (不亦乐乎) | 不亦 | 乐 | 乎 | |
Literally: “is it not a joy?”. |
Etymology
From The Analects:
- 有朋自遠方來,不亦樂乎? [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
- Yǒu péng zì yuǎnfāng lái, bù yì lè hū? [Pinyin]
- Is it not delightful to have friends coming from distant quarters?
有朋自远方来,不亦乐乎? [Classical Chinese, simp.]
Pronunciation
Idiom
不亦樂乎
- (original meaning) Isn't it a pleasure (to ...)?
- (modifies an adjective or verb) to a great extent; extremely; very; awfully