Zhi Hu Zhe Ye (Empty Rhetoric)

Reading Lu Xun today, I saw a description in “Kong Yiji”:

Kong Yiji drank half a bowl of wine, and his flushed face gradually returned to normal. Others then asked again, “Kong Yiji, do you really know how to read?” Kong Yiji looked at the person asking him, showing a look of disdain to argue. They then continued, “How come you can’t even get half a scholar degree?” Kong Yiji immediately showed a dejected and uneasy look, a layer of gray covered his face, and he mumbled some words; but this time it was all archaic particles like “Zhi Hu Zhe Ye,” and I didn’t understand any of it. At this time, everyone burst into laughter: the air inside and outside the store was filled with cheerfulness.

I felt that the four characters “Zhi Hu Zhe Ye” expressed the characteristics of ancient Chinese very vividly, so I asked ChatGPT about the allusion of “Zhi Hu Zhe Ye.” It turned out that this allusion actually came from Zhu Yuanzhang, and it is now used to ridicule some people who only know formalism and are not good at solving practical problems. This idiom comes from the doer Zhu Yuanzhang, adding more vitality to this idiom.

Emperor Taizu was expanding the outer city and visited the Vermilion Bird Gate (Zhuque Gate), planning it personally. Only Zhao Pu, the Prince of Han, followed him at the time. The Emperor pointed to the gate plaque and asked Pu: “Why not just write ‘Zhuque Gate’? What is the use of adding the character ‘Zhi’ (meaning ‘of’)?” Pu replied: “It is an auxiliary word.” Taizu laughed loudly and said: “Zhi Hu Zhe Ye, what help are they?” —— Excerpt from Wen Ying’s “Xiangshan Wild Records”

After reading “Lu Town” and understanding the “Vermilion Bird Gate” meme, I realized that there are also many “Zhi Hu Zhe Ye” phenomena in my life and work. For example, I focus too much on the technical optimization of my blog and ignore the substantive content that readers care about most. I invest a lot of time and energy in switching between various office applications and beautifying PPTs, pursuing so-called “high-efficiency productivity tools” and “elegant PPTs,” while ignoring more important work content. I also spend a lot of time searching for surrounding hotels on booking platforms, pursuing a perfect accommodation experience, but ignoring the true purpose of the business trip.

Analyzing the reasons for committing the “Zhi Hu Zhe Ye” mistake, one is not focusing energy on core goals, wasting a lot of time on inefficient or even ineffective labor, and subconsciously justifying oneself with “pursuing the ultimate experience.” Second, there is a lack of understanding of one’s own strengths and weaknesses, underestimating the focus and professional requirements to do one thing well, and always wanting to use one’s amateur level to challenge others’ professional abilities. Third, not knowing how to “make good use of things,” always wanting to do everything personally, and wasting precious time on inefficient labor.

PS: Lo Ta-yu has an album of the same name “Zhi Hu Zhe Ye,” and 140,000 copies were sold shortly after the record was released.

Published at: Nov 24, 2024 · Modified at: Jan 14, 2026