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不亦君子乎

bú yì jūnzǐ hū
quotation

Meanings

  1. 1 is that not what a gentleman is?
  2. 2 (rhetorical) isn't that the mark of a true cultivated person?
  3. 3 (lit.) is it not also a gentleman?

Examples

HSK 7-9
面对误解仍能平和，不亦君子乎？
Miànduì wùjiě réng néng pínghé, búyìjūnzǐhū?
To stay calm in the face of misunderstanding - is that not what a gentleman is?
HSK 7-9
他引用不亦君子乎来赞扬朋友的气度。
Tā yǐnyòng búyìjūnzǐhū lái zànyáng péngyou de qìdù.
He quoted 'is that not a gentleman' to praise his friend's composure.

Tips

history
From the opening passage of 《论语·学而》: 学而时习之，不亦说乎？有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎？人不知而不愠，不亦君子乎？ (To learn and regularly practice - is that not a joy? To have friends come from afar - is that not a pleasure? To be unrecognized yet not resentful - is that not a gentleman?). The three rhetorical 不亦...乎 questions are among the most famous lines in all of Chinese literature, often memorized by schoolchildren.
usage
不亦...乎 is a classical rhetorical pattern ('is it not...?'). 说 in the opening 不亦说乎 reads yuè (= 悦, 'joyful'), not shuō. The third question 不亦君子乎 is the moral climax.

Stroke Order

不 bù
亦 yì
君 jūn
子 zǐ
乎 hū