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.]

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有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎？ [Classical Chinese, simp.]

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?

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): bùyìlèhū

  (Zhuyin): ㄅㄨˋ ㄧˋ ㄌㄜˋ ㄏㄨ

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): bat¹ jik⁶ lok⁶ fu⁴

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): but² yiak⁵ lok⁵ fu³

• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): put-e̍k-lo̍k-hô͘ / put-e̍k-lo̍k-hò͘

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: bùyìlèhū [Phonetic: búyìlèhū]
    • Zhuyin: ㄅㄨˋ ㄧˋ ㄌㄜˋ ㄏㄨ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: bùyìlèhu
    • Wade–Giles: pu⁴-i⁴-lê⁴-hu¹
    • Yale: bù-yì-lè-hū
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: buyihlehhu
    • Palladius: буилэху (builɛxu)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ i⁵¹⁻⁵³ lɤ⁵¹ xu⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: bat¹ jik⁶ lok⁶ fu⁴
    • Yale: bāt yihk lohk fùh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: bat⁷ jik⁹ lok⁹ fu⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: bed¹ yig⁶ log⁶ fu⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pɐt̚⁵ jɪk̚² lɔːk̚² fuː²¹/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: but² yiak⁵ lok⁵ fu³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /put̚⁵⁵ jiak̚³² lɔk̚³² fu²²/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: put-e̍k-lo̍k-hô͘
    • Tâi-lô: put-i̍k-lo̍k-hôo
    • Phofsit Daibuun: put'egloghoo
    • IPA (Xiamen): /put̚³²⁻⁴ iɪk̚⁴⁻³² lɔk̚⁴⁻³² hɔ²⁴/
  • (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: put-e̍k-lo̍k-hò͘
    • Tâi-lô: put-i̍k-lo̍k-hòo
    • Phofsit Daibuun: put'egloghox
    • IPA (Taipei): /put̚³²⁻⁴ iɪk̚⁴⁻³² lɔk̚⁴⁻³² hɔ¹¹/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /put̚³²⁻⁴ iɪk̚⁴⁻³² lɔk̚⁴⁻³² hɔ²¹/

Idiom

不亦樂乎

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