不亦乐乎

不亦樂乎

bùyìlèhū

idiom HSK 7-9 #30,798

Meanings

1 to an extreme degree; with great enthusiasm
2 to one's heart's content

Characters

also (literary)

question particle (literary)

Literally 'isn't it also joyful?' - a rhetorical question from Confucius that now means doing something with abandon.

Examples

HSK 2

孩子们玩得不亦乐乎。

Háizi men wán de bùyìlèhū.

The children played to their hearts' content.

HSK 2

大家吃得不亦乐乎。

Dàjiā chī de bùyìlèhū.

Everyone ate with great gusto.

HSK 6

他们聊得不亦乐乎。

Tāmen liáo de bùyìlèhū.

They chatted away with great enthusiasm.

Tips

history

This comes from the very first line of the Analects of Confucius (论语): 学而时习之，不亦说乎？有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎？ - 'To study and practice regularly, isn't that satisfying? To have friends visit from afar, isn't that joyful?' It's one of the most famous quotes in Chinese literature, and every Chinese student memorizes it.

grammar

In modern usage, 不亦乐乎 always follows a verb + 得 as a complement of degree: 玩得不亦乐乎, 忙得不亦乐乎. It describes doing something so intensely you're completely absorbed in it.

Stroke Order

不 bù

亦 yì

乐 lè

乎 hū