Taxonomy of meanings for 乎:　　

  • hū (OC: ɢaa MC: ɦuo) 戶吳切 平 廣韻：【極也辝也 】
  • hū (OC: ɢaa MC: ɦuo) 戶吳切 平 廣韻：【乎古文 】
    • modal> MODAL PARTICLES
        • interrogatory> QUESTION PARTICLES
          • ppostadSquestionfinal question particle after verbal sentence 管仲儉乎？"Was Guǎnzhòng stingy?"
          • ppostadS1.adS2alternativemarks alternative questions or statements, similar to 邪DS
          • ppostadSrhetorical question不亦樂乎 "is that not surely  a joy"  sentence particle marking rhetorical question (often in an apodosis of a conditional)LZ
          • ppostadN{PRED}marks a question sentence with a nominal predicate.CH
        • emphatic> EXCLAMATORY PARTICLE
          • ppostadN{PRED}what an N!
          • ppostadNprvocativevocative particle after a name used to address a person
          • ppostadSexclamatoryfinal exclamatory particle 必也射乎And if he has to, it is surely in archery!
          • ppostadSexpected answer: no!particle following rhetorical questions
          • ppostadV.+N{SUBJ}particle placed after a predicate preposed for emphasis
          • ppostadVsuffixparticle placed after a predicate for emphasisDS
          • ppostadN.adSvocativemarker of an exclamatory mentioning of or appeal to NCH
        • post-verbal> VERBAL SUFFIX
          • ppostadVpostverbal modal particle of doubtful semantic force, often marking the generalising and non-narratively punctual continuative modality of the verb
          • passive> PASSIVE MARKER
            • vt[0]oN.postadV{PASS}preposition introducing the agent in a passive constructionLZ
      • concrete:place> BE IN
        • vt[0]oN.postadVN=Placein
        • vt[0]oN.postadVN=timeat the time ofCH
        • vt[0]oN.postadVN=abstract placeinCH
        • directional> TOWARDS
          • vt[0]oN.postadV吾嘗試問乎女"Let me ask you a question": towards; into; in the direction of
          • object> TARGET
            • vt0oN.postadV世蘄乎亂"the vulgar world keeps seeking chaos": directed at N (as a grammatical object, nuance uncertain. 待考. Graham: "continuative"??)CH
            • abstract:in the interest of> FOR
              • vt0oN.postadVfor the benefit of, for the use ofCH
        • generalised abstract:relational> RELATION
          • vt0oN.-V(V-er) in relation to/as compared to (N) 莫大乎X
          • vt[0]oN.postadVin relation toCH
          • by comparisons> THAN
            • vt[0]oN.postadVby comparison with, as compared with, compared to, thanCH
          • source> FROM
            • vt[0]oN.postadV異乎我與若"be different from me and you": (distant or away or originating) from
      • general> PARTICLE
        • ppostV. Nempty filler particle with no semantic function, used in certain positions in poetryCH
    • hūRESEMBLE
      • vt[0]oN.postadVto V like N (very rare, possibly archaic)LZ

    Additional information about 乎

    說文解字: 【乎】，語之餘也。 〔小徐本「語」上有「乎者」二字。〕 从兮、象聲上越揚之形也。 【戶吳切】

      Criteria
    • ALAS

      [DECLARATIVE/EXCLAMATORY]

      [EMOTIONAL/UNEMOTIONAL]

      [EMPHATIC/UNEMPHATIC]

      [HIGH-DEGREE/LOW-DEGREE]

      1. Wū hū 嗚呼 / 於乎 / 於呼 expresses an emphatic complaint. Note that there is is specially large number of graphic variants used to write this word.

      [EMOTIONAL], [EXCLAMATORY], [HIGH-DEGREE]

      2. A1i zāi 哀哉 adds to the complaint the judgment that something is indeed sad.

      [DECLARATIVE], [EMPHATIC]

    • EXCLAMATORY PARTICLE

      1. The current general exclamatory particle is zāi 哉, and this word expresses the speaker's intensely held emphatic attitude towards what he says.

      2. Hū 乎 typically invites a commonality of intensely held emphatic attitude between speaker and listener and is thus semantically related to final fú 夫 meaning n'est ce pas in that these particles, although express quite different nuances of meaning, do contain the same element of communicative appeal to audience rather than straight expressiveness as such.

      3. Xī 嘻 "Ha!" expresses surprise.

    • MODAL PARTICLES

      也 is judgmental and judgmentally descriptive, never narrative: "it is the case that; the point is that"矣 narrative or narratively descriptive and marks to a currently new, currently relevant or currently conditioned narrative statement.已 is judgmental as well as emphatic or definitive: "definitively!, definitely"而已 is decisive and exclusive of alternatives: "and that is all".耳 is a less emphatic 而已.爾 is a scribal variant for 耳 and writes the same word.哉 is emphatic and marks emotionally charged statements: "!".夫 =否乎 is tentative and marks statements the truth of which is held to open to doubt: "n'est-ce pas?"

    • QUESTION PARTICLES

      Basic sentence-final question particles:乎 marks narrative or narratively descriptive verbal questions, and also indirect questions.耶 marks judgmental questions.也 can mark objective judgmental questions “何謂也　"what does this mean" not "what are you trying to say?" 哉 can mark emotionally charged rhetorical questions.

    • FROM

      1. Yóu 由 focusses on the coming out from, and the reference is primarily to a place, but can also be to cause.

      2. Zì 自 focusses on initiation, and the reference is primarily to a time, but can also be to a place, and to the arrangement of an abstract series.

      3. Cóng 從 derives its meaning from "to follow", and the reference is primarily to a place, but it can also be to an origin or cause, much more rarely to a time.

      4. Yú 於 basically means "in relation to", and one of the specific meanings is "in separative relation to, from".

      5. Hū 乎 basically means "in relation to", and one of its rarer specific meanings is "in separative relation to, from".

      6. Dào 道 "by way of" may refer literally to a direction, but it may also refer more abstractly to a means. See USE.

    • THEREUPON

      [BRIEF/LONG]

      [DRAMATIC/UNDRAMATIC]

      [EMPHATIC/UNEMPHATIC]

      [NOUN/VERB/PARTICLE/CLAUSE]

      1. The current general word for "thereupon" is yú shì 於是 "at that point, then, thereupon" with its expanded variant yú shì hū 於是乎, but these expressions do not allow for any long delay.

      2. Yǒu jiān 有間 (ant.* xuǎn 旋／還 "without delay", dùn 頓 "immediately, without hesitation") refers to a brief interval of a certain time which ensues, and after which something new happens in the narrative sequence.

      [BRIEF], [UNDRAMATIC], [UNEMPHATIC]; [CLAUSE]

      3. Yǒu qǐng 有頃 (ant. è ér 俄而 "without delay", lì 立 "without delay") is "after a while" and the interval is perhaps a little longer than in yǒu jiān 有間, and this expression also refers to a plain narrative sequence.

      [BRIEF], [UNDRAMATIC], [UNEMPHATIC]; [CLAUSE]

      4. Yǐ ér 已而 (ant. qián cǐ 前此 "before this point in time") refers with emphasis to a longer than expected interval after a certain time.

      [LONG], [DRAMATIC], [EMPHATIC]; [PARTICLE]

      5. Jū 居 (as in jū sān yuè 居三月 "after three months") and the rarer chǔ 處 serve simply to indicate a specified interval after a certain time after which something else happens.

      [VERB], [UNDRAMATIC], [UNEMPHATIC]

      6. Jì 既 (ant. wèi jí 未及 "before even...") focusses dramatically on the fact that an action B does not occur before the action A is completed.

      [BRIEF], [DRAMATIC], [EMPHATIC]; [PARTICLE]

      7. Rán hòu 然後 (ant. yǐ qián 以前 "before") emphasises that an event occurs no sooner than after a certain event or space of time. See ONLY THEN.

      [BRIEF], [DRAMATIC], [EMPHATIC]; [PARTICLE]

      8. Ér hòu 而後 (ant. yǐ qián 以前 "before") emphasises that an event occurs no sooner than after a certain event or space of time. See ONLY THEN.

      [BRIEF], [EMPHATIC]; [PARTICLE]

      9. Xū yú 須臾 stresses that an event occurred immediately after another.

      [BRIEF+]; [nadS]

      10. Hòu 後 (ant. qián 前 "before") is a general word indicating that something happens later than something else.