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不亦樂乎

简不亦乐乎 · 繁不亦樂乎

Mandarin · pinyin bù yì lè hū

lit. isn't that a joy? (quote from Confucius)
fig. (jocular) extremely; awfully

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Characters in this entry

不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
亦: yì · also, too; likewise
樂: lè · happy, glad; enjoyable; music
乎: hū · interrogative or exclamatory final particle
乐: lè · happy, glad; enjoyable; music

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–4–4–1 · bu4 yi4 le4 hu1

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

不亦樂乎 · find source passages ↗ · 不亦乐乎 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

bat1 jik6 lok6 fu4

Cantonese word readings for 不亦樂乎. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(original meaning) Isn't it a pleasure (to ...)?
(modifies an adjective or verb) to a great extent; extremely; very; awfully

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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