Meaning
乎 is a classical Chinese particle that appears primarily in literary or formal contexts. In ancient Chinese, it served multiple grammatical functions: as a question particle (similar to 吗), an exclamation, and as a preposition meaning 'in' or 'at'. While rarely used alone in modern spoken Mandarin, it survives in many set phrases, idioms, and formal expressions.
Usage
Modern speakers encounter 乎 mainly in four-character idioms (成语), literary expressions, and formal writing. It appears in common phrases like 几乎 (almost) and 确乎 (indeed). When reading classical texts or poetry, 乎 often marks questions or emphasis. Native speakers generally don't use 乎 in everyday conversation except within fixed expressions.
Examples
- 01他几乎每天都去图书馆。.He goes to the library almost every day.
- 02我不在乎别人怎么看我。.I don't care what other people think of me.
Common collocations
- 几乎不hardly, scarcely
- 不在乎not care about
- 忘乎所以to get carried away, forget oneself
- 神乎其神miraculous, fantastic
Origin
乎 is one of the oldest Chinese characters, appearing in oracle bone inscriptions. Its original meaning related to calling out or exhaling, which evolved into its grammatical functions as a particle for questions and exclamations in classical Chinese.