Object pronoun 之 (it / them)

Structure Verb + 之 (= it/them, resumes the object)

In its Classical use, 之 (zhī) serves as an object pronoun placed after the verb: it picks up something already mentioned, like a literary "it / them". It survives mainly in proverbs and elevated prose: 取之不尽，用之不竭 "inexhaustible: however much you draw on it and use it, it never runs dry". This differs from attributive 之 (= 的): here it does not link nouns but closes the verb as its object. In modern usage it is not replaced by 它 in these set phrases; 之 is part of the fixed expression.

Examples

大dà自zì然rán的de资zī源yuán取qǔ之zhī不bù尽jìn，用yòng之zhī不bù竭jié。
Nature's resources seem inexhaustible, however much we draw on and use them.
言yán之zhī有yǒu理lǐ，我wǒ们men就jiù采cǎi纳nà。
If what is said has merit, we'll adopt it.
对duì这zhè项xiàng提tí议yì，他tā全quán盘pán否fǒu定dìng之zhī。
He rejected the proposal in its entirety.
持chí之zhī以yǐ恒héng，方fāng能néng成chéng功gōng。
Only by persevering in it can one succeed.

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