不亦乐乎

不亦樂乎
bùyìlèhū
idiom HSK 7 #30,798

Meanings

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

Characters

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

Examples

Háizimen wán de bùyìlèhū.
The children played to their hearts' content.
Tāmen liáo de bùyìlèhū.
They chatted away with great enthusiasm.
Dàjiā chī de bùyìlèhū.
Everyone ate with great gusto.

Tips

history
This comes from the very first line of the Analerta of Confucius (): 远方不亦乐乎? — '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 + as a complement of degree: 不亦乐乎, 不亦乐乎. It describes doing something so intensely you're completely absorbed in it.

Stroke Order