之乎者也

zhīhūzhěyě
  1. lit. 之 zhī, 乎 hū, 者 zhě and 也 yě (four grammatical particles of Classical Chinese) (idiom)
  2. fig. archaic expressions

CEDICT

  1. (metonymic) unintelligible speech or article filled with archaisms; pedantic expressions; grandiloquent speech; semi-incomprehensible talk
  2. unintelligible speech or article filled with archaisms; pedantic expressions; grandiloquent speech; semi-incomprehensible talk

Wiktionary

  1. 之、乎、者、也為文言文中常用的四個語助詞。故以之乎者也指讀書人所應具備的基本能力。
  2. 宋太祖親自規劃首都的外城，一日獨與韓王趙普視察工程，走到南門，門額上題「朱雀之門」，太祖問為何不只寫「朱雀門」，而多個「之」字，趙普答道：「『之』是語助詞呀！」太祖笑道：「之乎者也，助得甚事？」典出宋．釋文瑩《湘山野錄．卷中》。後用以譏諷讀書人只知道咬文嚼字，而不能解決實際的問題。《儒林外史．第二二回》：「一個生意人家，只見這些之乎者也的人來講呆話，覺得可厭，非止一日。」也作「者也之乎」。

重編國語辭典

指讀書人所應具備的基本能力

維基詞典

Entry Composition

1 之 zhī
  1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 de)
  2. him
  3. her
  4. it
2 乎 hū
  1. (classical particle similar to 於 yú) in
  2. at
  3. from
  4. because
  5. than
  6. (classical final particle similar to 嗎 ma, 吧 ba, 呢 ne, expressing question, doubt or astonishment)
3 者 zhě
  1. (after a verb or adjective) one who (is) ...
  2. (after a noun) person involved in ...
  3. -er
  4. -ist
  5. (used after a number or 後 hòu or 前 qián to refer to sth mentioned previously)
  6. (used after a term, to mark a pause before defining the term)
  7. (old) (used at the end of a command)
  8. (old) this
4 也 yě
  1. also; too; as well; (not ...) either
  2. (used after a verbal or nominal expression X to indicate that X is an extreme or unexpected case) even (X)
  3. (literary) particle having functions similar to 啊 a

Containing this entry

滿口之乎者也 mǎnkǒuzhīhūzhěyě
  1. mouth full of literary phrases
  2. to spout the classics