<p>In your giving sentence, it means is (be)</p>

<p>but as a chinese ,this verb is hardly use in communicating or writing, this is a verb which uses in ancient chinese</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-24T04:59:40.057Z
Disagree. 乃 is still very much in use in writing today.
杨以轩
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-24T03:09:33.877Z
2013-07-24T03:09:33.877Z
niko
<p>My suggestion is that you'd better have a Chinese dictionary when you learn it, for example &lt;新华字典>. All the usual meaning will be presented with example. The 乃 in your example has the same meaning in the following example:吾乃常山赵子龙也from （三国演义）.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-12T13:00:32.460Z
2013-08-12T13:00:32.460Z
Eden Harder
<p>Here "乃" means "be". This sentence means "This area is for old posts, and these posts are read-only."</p>

<p>Next time, if you find "此乃" these two characters together or a noun+乃 together, "乃" properly means "be". For example:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>此乃我的书.<br>
   <em>This is my book.</em></p>
  
  <p>意识乃是大脑的一种自然属性。<br>
   <em>Consciousness is an emergent property of the brain.</em></p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-23T10:27:56.043Z
It should be emphasized that 乃 is an ancient expression in Chinese -- though it's occasionally used today, the whole sentence should be "of some old-style". To some extent, `此乃我的书` sounds a little funny/silly because 我的 is a modern expression. In a formal occasion, such a sentence will be criticized as 半文不白 (mixed style of classical and vernacular Chinese). However, compared with a single 乃, the compound verb `乃是` sounds *a limited little more* modern, so `意识乃是大脑的一种自然属性` is OK.
Stan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-23T23:50:03.867Z
Stan you should make your own answer. I'd upvote you :)
deutschZuid
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-24T04:57:49.573Z
此乃我书, 的 is not required in the classical form.
杨以轩
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-24T09:41:13.497Z
@deutschZuid: such a complement to this answer would better be a comment so that visitors won't miss it. Earning reputations is fun, though :)
Stan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-23T06:33:06.080Z
2013-07-23T10:08:46.910Z
2013-07-23T10:08:46.910Z
dohremifa
<p>On a particular forum is a banner reading:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>此乃舊貼唯讀區</p>
</blockquote>

<p>which I imagine is a highfalutin way of saying that this thread is read-only.</p>

<p>Now, 乃 has many senses in my dictionary. What is the sense of 乃 being used here? My best guess would be "only", in the sense that this page is "nothing more than" a read-only area.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-23T06:08:02.400Z
此 **乃** = This **is**, 舊貼 = old posts, 唯讀區 = read-only area.
Stan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-23T06:24:39.370Z
From what I could read from the sentence it means the word "is" as mentioned by Stan
Yao Bo Lu
<classical-chinese>
What does 乃 mean here?
# What does 乃 mean here?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-07-23)

On a particular forum is a banner reading:

> 此乃舊貼唯讀區

which I imagine is a highfalutin way of saying that this thread is read-only.

Now, 乃 has many senses in my dictionary. What is the sense of 乃 being used here? My best guess would be "only", in the sense that this page is "nothing more than" a read-only area.

**Tags:** classical-chinese

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 此 **乃** = This **is**, 舊貼 = old posts, 唯讀區 = read-only area.  
> **username_2**: From what I could read from the sentence it means the word "is" as mentioned by username_1  

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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_6 on 2013-07-23. Score: 6 | Accepted answer

Here "乃" means "be". This sentence means "This area is for old posts, and these posts are read-only."

Next time, if you find "此乃" these two characters together or a noun+乃 together, "乃" properly means "be". For example:

> 此乃我的书.  
> *This is my book.*
>
> 意识乃是大脑的一种自然属性。  
> *Consciousness is an emergent property of the brain.*

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: It should be emphasized that 乃 is an ancient expression in Chinese -- though it's occasionally used today, the whole sentence should be "of some old-style". To some extent, `此乃我的书` sounds a little funny/silly because 我的 is a modern expression. In a formal occasion, such a sentence will be criticized as 半文不白 (mixed style of classical and vernacular Chinese). However, compared with a single 乃, the compound verb `乃是` sounds *a limited little more* modern, so `意识乃是大脑的一种自然属性` is OK.  
> **username_7**: username_1 you should make your own answer. I'd upvote you :)  
> **username_4**: 此乃我书, 的 is not required in the classical form.  
> **username_1**: @username_7: such a complement to this answer would better be a comment so that visitors won't miss it. Earning reputations is fun, though :)  

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### Answer by username_3 on 2013-07-24. Score: -1

In your giving sentence, it means is (be)

but as a chinese ,this verb is hardly use in communicating or writing, this is a verb which uses in ancient chinese

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: Disagree. 乃 is still very much in use in writing today.  

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### Answer by username_5 on 2013-08-12. Score: -1

My suggestion is that you'd better have a Chinese dictionary when you learn it, for example <新华字典>. All the usual meaning will be presented with example. The 乃 in your example has the same meaning in the following example:吾乃常山赵子龙也from （三国演义）.


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