<p>first of all, the text quoted is, . . . <strong>bad</strong> literary chinese, imo</p>
<blockquote>
<p>夫不觀之力學乎。以助力器運重者。力省則時必費。時省則力必費</p>
</blockquote>
<p>read it as:</p>
<p>alors (夫 —&gt; 文言文中的發語詞，表提示作用), can’t (不) [one] observe (觀) such moral (之) [from] mechanics? (力學乎)</p>
<p>“夫”, served as an commencing particle (發語詞), “乎” served as an interrogative particle, which equal to question mark in english</p>
<p>“such moral” referred back to “anything has its price” (天下之物。莫不各有其代價) in the first paragraph</p>
<p>have fun :)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-01T13:24:59.713Z
Thank you. I have observed this in a couple of Late Qing texts (and nowhere else). It is probably a phrase of that period (which was complex and fascinating, but which hardly anyone has called a flowering period of 文言文).
Ludi
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-01T13:30:01.877Z
@ludi, if you wish, and have time, i can recommend several vv important articles of yore to you. further, i’ve ideas to write a literary chinese learning materials for foreigners, want to help, or, co-write?
水巷孑蠻
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-01T13:37:07.583Z
Yes, thank you! I am very pressed for the next 12 months with researching my next MA, but I am sure I can be useful to you in some ways (f.e. my mistakes and errors could elucidate the problems of foreigners). I have followed you on Medium. You should be able to message me there!
Ludi
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-01T13:56:44.607Z
I found your email from when we corresponded about 文言 back in 2018. I habe just sent you an email
Ludi
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-01T17:10:47.857Z
天下之物，天下的事物。It is different from 观之力学，考虑它和力学的关系。
PdotWang
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-03T03:00:36.070Z
@Ludi About the flowering period of the old style Chinese as you said, I find the works of 林纾 of late Qing and early ROC period, (novels) that he translated from foreign languages are much more difficult to understand than works of other people in the previous dynasties.
NanningYouth
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-01T13:19:57.293Z
2024-03-01T13:19:57.293Z
水巷孑蠻
<p>夫不觀之力學乎 - 您有没有看到, 这件事情和力学的道理是何等相似, 难道不是的吗？ - Do you see that this theory is very similar to the theory of Mechanics?</p>
<p>夫 - 您 - Dear Sir.</p>
<p>觀 - 看到, 看出来, 认为, 考虑. - Consider, Recognize.</p>
<p><strong>之</strong> - 此事, 上面所说的事情. - THE, The thing, The matter in consideration.</p>
<p>乎 - 是否? 是不是? 难道不是吗? - Isn't it? Don't you think so?</p>
<p>For example:</p>
<p>夫复何求 - <strong>您</strong>（或者<strong>我</strong>本人）还有什么更多的要求吗? (<strong>我</strong>已经非常满足了) - What else do I still need? (I already got what I expected). I am so satisfied that I would need nothing else. I</p>
<p>置<strong>之</strong>度外 - 把<strong>这件事情</strong>放在我的考虑以外. - It is beyond my consideration. I do not mind what the consequence would be.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-01T16:39:46.990Z
2024-03-01T16:39:46.990Z
PdotWang
<p>I wouldn't go with mechanics!</p>
<p>Sounds like a &quot;How commerce works&quot; treatise: Work Or Let Others Work?</p>
<p>The punctuation is impossible and most probably not in the original!</p>
<p>As the distinguished scholar 水巷孑蠻 said, probably not from a classical genius! Classical is much more cryptic.</p>
<p>夫 fú: 那，那个，那些 [that，those]——表示远指</p>
<p>所: thatwhich</p>
<p>助力器: booster:汽车中借助压缩空气、高压油等操控装置，以达到使用轻便的目的。(Probably not this meaning in an oldish text! However, can also mean a Zimmerframe)</p>
<p>(桃花)運重者: 桃花运是形容一个人命运里有着非常好的异性缘，一个人的身边总是围绕着一大群的异性，能够得到很多异性的青睐。(sexy by destiny)</p>
<p>力学: 努力学习</p>
<p>Published: 乙巳年<br />
光绪: reign name of penultimate Qing emperor Guangxu or Guang-hsu (1875-1908)<br />
光緒31年 = 1905?</p>
<p>Text beginning:</p>
<p>天下之物。<br />
Everything under heaven</p>
<p>莫不各有其代價。(Money can't buy me love!)<br />
All not each have its price?<br />
has its price</p>
<p>納價若干，<br />
get how much?<br />
(if one) pays a certain amount of money</p>
<p>則得貨若干。<br />
then get how much goods? (price finding)<br />
then one receives what quantity of goods?</p>
<p>First 夫:</p>
<p>夫而後乃各按其所應得之數。<br />
that after then each according his thatwhich deserve that number<br />
After which each gets what he/she deserves</p>
<p>Second 夫:</p>
<p>夫人之貧富。<br />
those people that poor rich<br />
whether people are rich or poor (poor - flaw, so poetic)</p>
<p>天地之一大缺陷也。<br />
heaven earth that 1 big flaw yeah<br />
There is but one big flaw in the divine scheme of things</p>
<p>然而貧者必有其所以貧之故。<br />
of course poor must have their thatwhich that poor cause<br />
Of course, there must be a reason why the poor are poor.</p>
<p>富者亦必有其所以富之故。<br />
rich also must have thatwhich that rich that cause<br />
(as) the rich must have a reason why they are rich.</p>
<p>Third 夫:</p>
<p>夫不觀之力學乎。<br />
those not pay attention that study hard how<br />
How shall those who do not pay attention to studying hard fare?</p>
<p>以助力器(桃花)運重者。<br />
that help-device great charm(ers)<br />
(they) are perhaps helped by their charm</p>
<p>力省則時必費。<br />
strength save then time must waste<br />
Those who want to save effort must waste time.</p>
<p>時省則力必費。<br />
time save then strength waste<br />
Those want to save time must waste effort.</p>
<p>二者交相為因。<br />
both pay eachother as reason<br />
(They) both pay each other for this reason.</p>
<p>夫致富。<br />
those become rich<br />
Some get rich.</p>
<p>難事也。<br />
difficult thing yeah<br />
(That) is not easy.</p>
<p>然以掘藏而致富。<br />
thus that dig hidden and become rich (掘藏: miners?? plunderers?? opportunists?? entrepreneurs?? App inventors??)<br />
(Some) naturally find wealth and become rich.</p>
<p>則易事也。<br />
then easy thing yeah<br />
Then life is easy.</p>
<p>既易易矣。<br />
already (rich) easy easy yeah<br />
(the rich have it) Very easy yeah!</p>
<p>而復有難。<br />
Again there are difficulties<br />
甚矣。<br />
Serious (difficulties) yeah</p>
<p>天下無易事也。<br />
Under heaven no easy thing yeah<br />
There are no simple tasks</p>
<p>近者吾國之人。<br />
near that I country those people<br />
The people near my home.</p>
<p>皆思得財矣。<br />
all think get money yeah<br />
Only think about getting rich.</p>
<p>而終勿得。<br />
and end no get<br />
But don't get rich</p>
<p>吾國之人。<br />
I home those people<br />
My countrymen.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-02T07:24:27.977Z
“the distinguished scholar”, omg, you depreciate the term lah  sahib, wouldn’t you call me **lunatic**, which is more appropriate 
水巷孑蠻
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-02T08:02:30.333Z
The Ski fellow is right on both counts. All distinguished scholars have a touch of lunacy :) Have Fun.
Wayne Cheah
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-03T07:32:19.037Z
No, I would not call you lunatic! (I reserve that term for my elder sister!) I always read and admire your posts! Reading and understanding ancient Chinese is telepathy!
Pedroski
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-03T11:10:08.547Z
@WayneCheah, recently i read a graphic novel “psychiatric tales” ; alors, i empathised with numerous patients in the stories 
水巷孑蠻
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-03T12:27:10.377Z
Talking about "“psychiatric tales”, my late father told me that he once went to a mental hospital, as a visitor, and while there a patient he was visiting warned him that the patient in the next bed is mad.
Wayne Cheah
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-04T00:22:38.150Z
難事也。difficult thing yeah - this is an expressive translation of the particle 也 which I have not seen before!
河南宝宝
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-02T06:14:33.013Z
2024-03-03T07:35:43.223Z
2024-03-03T07:35:43.223Z
Pedroski
<h2>Problem</h2>
<p>I stumbled upon this pattern</p>
<blockquote>
<p>夫不觀之X乎？</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It seems to be an injunction to consider X, which I would try to phrase as:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>何故不觀X？</p>
</blockquote>
<p>But, how does it come to mean this - if it does? The question particle usage of 夫 (as far as I know） is restricted to 夫 in the final position. If I assume 夫 to be the simple introductory particle, I still don’t see the need for 之 in the pattern.</p>
<h2>Example Text</h2>
<p>An example would be <a href="https://baike.baidu.hk/item/%E7%8E%89%E8%9F%B2%E7%B7%A3/12534491" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this</a> translation/rendition (譯述）by 周作人.</p>
<p>The first, second and fourth paragraph all start with introductory 夫 （feeding the suspicion that the 夫 heading our phrase at the beginning of paragraph 3 is also introductory).</p>
<p>The first paragraph makes the point that anything has its price and the price payed and the good obtained are supposedly commensurate. The second paragraph proceeds to apply this to wealth (whose price is toil) and poverty (whose price is leisure, even though I expected him to say poverty was the price of leisure).</p>
<p>Then, he starts paragraph three with the phrase in question. He clearly wants us to consider something like the golden rule of mechanics, though he speaks of force and time.</p>
<p>So:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>夫不觀之力學乎？</p>
</blockquote>
<p>should be an injunction to consider mechanics. I just don’t fully understand the pattern.</p>
<hr />

<grammar><meaning><literary-chinese>
Why is there 之 in 夫不觀之⋯乎?
# Why is there 之 in 夫不觀之⋯乎?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-03-01)

## Problem

I stumbled upon this pattern

> 夫不觀之X乎？

It seems to be an injunction to consider X, which I would try to phrase as:

> 何故不觀X？

But, how does it come to mean this - if it does? The question particle usage of 夫 (as far as I know） is restricted to 夫 in the final position. If I assume 夫 to be the simple introductory particle, I still don’t see the need for 之 in the pattern.

## Example Text

An example would be [this](https://baike.baidu.hk/item/%E7%8E%89%E8%9F%B2%E7%B7%A3/12534491) translation/rendition (譯述）by 周作人.

The first, second and fourth paragraph all start with introductory 夫 （feeding the suspicion that the 夫 heading our phrase at the beginning of paragraph 3 is also introductory).

The first paragraph makes the point that anything has its price and the price payed and the good obtained are supposedly commensurate. The second paragraph proceeds to apply this to wealth (whose price is toil) and poverty (whose price is leisure, even though I expected him to say poverty was the price of leisure).

Then, he starts paragraph three with the phrase in question. He clearly wants us to consider something like the golden rule of mechanics, though he speaks of force and time.

So:

> 夫不觀之力學乎？

should be an injunction to consider mechanics. I just don’t fully understand the pattern.

---

**Tags:** grammar, meaning, literary-chinese


---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2024-03-01. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

first of all, the text quoted is, . . . **bad** literary chinese, imo

> 夫不觀之力學乎。以助力器運重者。力省則時必費。時省則力必費

read it as:

alors (夫 —> 文言文中的發語詞，表提示作用), can’t (不) [one] observe (觀) such moral (之) [from] mechanics? (力學乎)

“夫”, served as an commencing particle (發語詞), “乎” served as an interrogative particle, which equal to question mark in english

“such moral” referred back to “anything has its price” (天下之物。莫不各有其代價) in the first paragraph

have fun :)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thank you. I have observed this in a couple of Late Qing texts (and nowhere else). It is probably a phrase of that period (which was complex and fascinating, but which hardly anyone has called a flowering period of 文言文).  
> **username_1**: @username_0, if you wish, and have time, i can recommend several vv important articles of yore to you. further, i’ve ideas to write a literary chinese learning materials for foreigners, want to help, or, co-write?  
> **username_0**: Yes, thank you! I am very pressed for the next 12 months with researching my next MA, but I am sure I can be useful to you in some ways (f.e. my mistakes and errors could elucidate the problems of foreigners). I have followed you on Medium. You should be able to message me there!  
> **username_0**: I found your email from when we corresponded about 文言 back in 2018. I habe just sent you an email  
> **username_2**: 天下之物，天下的事物。It is different from 观之力学，考虑它和力学的关系。  
> **username_3**: @username_0 About the flowering period of the old style Chinese as you said, I find the works of 林纾 of late Qing and early ROC period, (novels) that he translated from foreign languages are much more difficult to understand than works of other people in the previous dynasties.  

---

### Answer by username_2 on 2024-03-01. Score: 1

夫不觀之力學乎 - 您有没有看到, 这件事情和力学的道理是何等相似, 难道不是的吗？ - Do you see that this theory is very similar to the theory of Mechanics?

夫 - 您 - Dear Sir.

觀 - 看到, 看出来, 认为, 考虑. - Consider, Recognize.

**之** - 此事, 上面所说的事情. - THE, The thing, The matter in consideration.

乎 - 是否? 是不是? 难道不是吗? - Isn't it? Don't you think so?

For example:

夫复何求 - **您**（或者**我**本人）还有什么更多的要求吗? (**我**已经非常满足了) - What else do I still need? (I already got what I expected). I am so satisfied that I would need nothing else. I

置**之**度外 - 把**这件事情**放在我的考虑以外. - It is beyond my consideration. I do not mind what the consequence would be.


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2024-03-02. Score: 0

I wouldn't go with mechanics!

Sounds like a "How commerce works" treatise: Work Or Let Others Work?

The punctuation is impossible and most probably not in the original!

As the distinguished scholar username_1 said, probably not from a classical genius! Classical is much more cryptic.

夫 fú: 那，那个，那些 [that，those]——表示远指

所: thatwhich

助力器: booster:汽车中借助压缩空气、高压油等操控装置，以达到使用轻便的目的。(Probably not this meaning in an oldish text! However, can also mean a Zimmerframe)

(桃花)運重者: 桃花运是形容一个人命运里有着非常好的异性缘，一个人的身边总是围绕着一大群的异性，能够得到很多异性的青睐。(sexy by destiny)

力学: 努力学习

Published: 乙巳年  
光绪: reign name of penultimate Qing emperor Guangxu or Guang-hsu (1875-1908)  
光緒31年 = 1905?

Text beginning:

天下之物。  
Everything under heaven

莫不各有其代價。(Money can't buy me love!)  
All not each have its price?  
has its price

納價若干，  
get how much?  
(if one) pays a certain amount of money

則得貨若干。  
then get how much goods? (price finding)  
then one receives what quantity of goods?

First 夫:

夫而後乃各按其所應得之數。  
that after then each according his thatwhich deserve that number  
After which each gets what he/she deserves

Second 夫:

夫人之貧富。  
those people that poor rich  
whether people are rich or poor (poor - flaw, so poetic)

天地之一大缺陷也。  
heaven earth that 1 big flaw yeah  
There is but one big flaw in the divine scheme of things

然而貧者必有其所以貧之故。  
of course poor must have their thatwhich that poor cause  
Of course, there must be a reason why the poor are poor.

富者亦必有其所以富之故。  
rich also must have thatwhich that rich that cause  
(as) the rich must have a reason why they are rich.

Third 夫:

夫不觀之力學乎。  
those not pay attention that study hard how  
How shall those who do not pay attention to studying hard fare?

以助力器(桃花)運重者。  
that help-device great charm(ers)  
(they) are perhaps helped by their charm

力省則時必費。  
strength save then time must waste  
Those who want to save effort must waste time.

時省則力必費。  
time save then strength waste  
Those want to save time must waste effort.

二者交相為因。  
both pay eachother as reason  
(They) both pay each other for this reason.

夫致富。  
those become rich  
Some get rich.

難事也。  
difficult thing yeah  
(That) is not easy.

然以掘藏而致富。  
thus that dig hidden and become rich (掘藏: miners?? plunderers?? opportunists?? entrepreneurs?? App inventors??)  
(Some) naturally find wealth and become rich.

則易事也。  
then easy thing yeah  
Then life is easy.

既易易矣。  
already (rich) easy easy yeah  
(the rich have it) Very easy yeah!

而復有難。  
Again there are difficulties  
甚矣。  
Serious (difficulties) yeah

天下無易事也。  
Under heaven no easy thing yeah  
There are no simple tasks

近者吾國之人。  
near that I country those people  
The people near my home.

皆思得財矣。  
all think get money yeah  
Only think about getting rich.

而終勿得。  
and end no get  
But don't get rich

吾國之人。  
I home those people  
My countrymen.

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: “the distinguished scholar”, omg, you depreciate the term lah  sahib, wouldn’t you call me **lunatic**, which is more appropriate   
> **username_5**: The Ski fellow is right on both counts. All distinguished scholars have a touch of lunacy :) Have Fun.  
> **username_4**: No, I would not call you lunatic! (I reserve that term for my elder sister!) I always read and admire your posts! Reading and understanding ancient Chinese is telepathy!  
> **username_1**: @username_5, recently i read a graphic novel “psychiatric tales” ; alors, i empathised with numerous patients in the stories   
> **username_5**: Talking about "“psychiatric tales”, my late father told me that he once went to a mental hospital, as a visitor, and while there a patient he was visiting warned him that the patient in the next bed is mad.  
> **username_6**: 難事也。difficult thing yeah - this is an expressive translation of the particle 也 which I have not seen before!  

---

