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Definition
- possessive particle (literary equivalent of 的)
- (third person objective pronoun, lit.) him
- (third person objective pronoun, lit.) her
- (third person objective pronoun, lit.) it
- (literary) this
- to go
- to leave for
How to use 之
In ancient Chinese literature (aka 文言 Classical Chinese), the character 之 has many functions. It's still nowadays very much a word reserved for the written language. You'll find it in many idioms, proverbs, 成语, poems, and classical texts.
It can be used:
- as a particle,
- a direct object pronoun (that is to say, it can only be used when the pronoun is the direct object of a sentence),
- a demonstrative pronoun
- as well as a verb.
Related words (275)
(the) skilled art of slaughtering dragons; useless skill; art of a high order but of little value
91 BC attempted coup d'etat against Emperor Wu of Han 漢武帝|汉武帝, beginning with accusations of witchcraft
(lit.) to tune one's zither then play it; fig. to live by the consequences of one's actions; to make one's bed then lie on it
in short; all in all; to make a long story short; in a few words; in a word; in brief
tied up in a bundle on a high shelf; to put sth on the back burner; no longer a high priority
(lit.) as sweet as syrup (idiom, from Book of Songs); to endure hardship gladly; a glutton for punishment
delaying tactics; stalling; measures to stave off an attack; stratagem to win a respite
to place sb on field of death; to confront with mortal danger; to give sb no way out; with one's back to the wall; looking death in the eye; part of idiom 置之死地而後生|置之死地而后生
the finest place in the nation (often used in reference to the capital city); also written the finest place in the nation (often used in reference to the capital city); also written 首善之地[shou3 shan4 zhi1 di4]
drumming on a bowl in grief (idiom, refers to Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子 grieving for his lost wife); (fig.) grief for a lost wife
one word says it all (idiom, from Analects); to cut a long story short; in a nutshell
(lit.) not fit for elegant hall (of artwork); not presentable; coarse; unrefined
a gentleman's friendship, insipid as water (idiom, from Zhuangzi 庄子)
place sb on a field of death and he will fight to live (idiom based on Sunzi's "The Art of War" 孙子兵法); to fight desperately when confronting mortal danger; (fig.) to find a way out of an impasse
a hero with no chance of using his might; to have no opportunity to display one's talents
a centipede dies but never falls down; old institutions die hard
Idioms (116)
four common characters of classical Chinese (idiom); fig. semi-incomprehensible talk; double Dutch; all Greek to me
(lit.) the kindness of recognizing sb's worth and employing him (idiom); patronage; protection
(lit.) a room with irises and orchids (idiom); fig. in wealthy and pleasant company
to keep going resolutely despite knowing the task is impossible (idiom)
congratulations on house-moving or promotion (idiom); Best wishes for your new home!
the frog at the bottom of the well (idiom); (fig.) a person of limited outlook and experience
to put to the torch (idiom); to commit to the flames; to burn sth down deliberately
to think nothing of doing sth (idiom); to do sth without considering the risks; to leave out of consideration
(lit.) target of a multitude of arrows (idiom); the butt of public criticism; attacked on all sides
(lit.) the crisis of being hanged upside down (idiom); fig. extremely critical situation; dire straits
(lit.) the crisis of being hanged upside down (idiom); fig. extremely critical situation; dire straits
(lit.) the pain of being hanged upside down (idiom); fig. extremely critical situation; dire straits
to make known to the masses (idiom); to publicize widely; to let the world know
(lit.) warning to the following cart (idiom); don't follow the track of an overturned cart; (fig.) draw lesson from the failure of one's predecessor; learn from past mistake; once bitten twice shy
fears of trouble in the rear (idiom); family worries (obstructing freedom of action); worries about the future consequences; often in negative expressions, meaning "no worries about anything"
(lit.) ready to appear at the call (idiom); (fig.) on the verge of coming out into the open; (of a person's choice etc) on the point of being disclosed; (of an artistic depiction) vividly portrayed
(lit.) as different as sky and earth (idiom); (fig.) night and day difference; opposite extremes; a world of difference; a far cry from
(lit.) a horse that brings trouble to its herd (idiom); (fig.) troublemaker; black sheep; rotten apple
a snap of the fingers (idiom); in an instant; in a short moment; in a flash; in the twinkling of an eye
fully deserving, without any reservations (idiom); entirely worthy (of a title, honor etc)
a friend in times of tribulations (idiom); a friend in need is a friend indeed
(lit.) a bird startled by the mere twang of a bow (idiom); (fig.) sb who frightens easily, due to past experiences
(lit.) cut sleeve (idiom); fig. euphemism for homosexuality, originating from History of Western Han 漢書|汉书: emperor Han Aidi (real name Liu Xin) was in bed with his lover Dong Xian, and had to attend a court audience that morning. Not wishing to awaken Do
stratagem of convenience (idiom); stop-gap measure; makeshift plan; interim step
plan of convenience (idiom); stop-gap measure; makeshift stratagem; interim step
to handle the situation calmly (idiom); unruffled; to treat the situation lightly
the brush stroke that dots in the eyes (idiom); fig. to add the vital finishing touch; the crucial point that brings the subject to life; a few words to clinch the point
(lit.) the fire burns one's eyebrows (idiom); fig. desperate situation; extreme emergency
ample scope for abilities; favorable position for the use of one's skills (idiom)
(lit.) a horse that has thrown off the reins (idiom); runaway horse; out of control
to rush like ducks (idiom); the mob scrabbles madly for sth unobtainable; an unruly crowd on a wild goose chase
to escape without trace (idiom); to make one's getaway (from the scene of a crime); to show a clean pair of heels
speech that grates on the ear (idiom); bitter truths; home truths (that one does not want to hear)
a hidden trouble hard to mention (idiom); sth too embarrassing to mention; an embarrassing illness
(lit.) candle in the wind (idiom); (fig.) (of sb's life) feeble; hanging on a thread
(lit.) fish bone of a minister (idiom); fig. person one can rely on for candid criticism
the masses rise to attack it (idiom); Everyone is against the idea.; universally abhorrent
to respect Gods and demons from a distance (idiom); to remain at a respectful distance
the whole year must be planned for in the spring (idiom); early planning is the key to success
make your day's plan early in the morning (idiom); early morning is the golden time of the day
(lit.) a new-born calf has no fear of the tiger (idiom); (fig.) the fearlessness of youth
appropriate to any place and any time (idiom); universally applicable; a panacea; applicable anywhere (idiom)
not to be inferior in any aspects (idiom); to surpass; to outdo; (derog.) to be even worse
(lit.) when the nest is upset no egg is left intact (idiom); (fig.) when one falls in disgrace the whole family is doomed
wine-lover's heart is not in the cup (idiom); a drinker not really interested in alcohol; having an ulterior motive; to have other things in mind; with an ax to grind; accomplishing something besides what one set out to do
(lit.) the other mountain's stone can polish jade (idiom); to improve oneself by accepting criticism from outside; to borrow talent from abroad to develop the nation effectively
(lit.) can the sparrow and swallow know the will of the great swan? (idiom); (fig.) how can we small fry predict the ambitions of the great?
(lit.) can the sparrow and swallow know the will of the great swan? (idiom); fig. how can we small fry predict the ambitions of the great?
give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime (idiom)
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