CHENGYU
不亦乐乎(bù yì lè hū)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- literary
- Source:
- 《论语·学而》
MEANING
- Literal
- is it not a joy?
- Figurative meaning
- extremely enjoyable; (sarcastically) utterly busy
ORIGIN STORY
The Analects open with Confucius' pleasure: "To have friends come from afar — is that not a joy?" The rhetorical question keeps its warmth, though daily speech often wields it with a grin.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“a delight indeed”
EXAMPLES
有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎？Yǒu péng zì yuǎnfāng lái, bù yì lè hū?HSK6
To have friends come from afar — is it not a joy?
朋友们在一起又唱又跳，不亦乐乎。Péngyoumen zài yìqǐ yòu chàng yòu tiào, bù yì lè hū.HSK6
The friends sang and danced together — what joy!
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: Note the reading: 乐 is lè (joy). In modern use it can be gently ironic about being frantically busy.
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01