之乎者也 zhī hū zhě yě
Explanation
“之乎者也”四个字都是文言虚词，用来形容说话或文章文绉绉的，咬文嚼字，不流畅自然。也常用来讽刺那些故作姿态，卖弄文墨的人。
The four words “zhī hū zhě yě” are all empty words from Classical Chinese, used to describe speech or writing that is overly literary, pedantic, and unnatural. It's also often used to satirize those who affect sophistication and flaunt their literary skills.
Origin Story
话说宋朝开国皇帝赵匡胤登基后，来到朱雀门前，抬头看见门上写着“朱雀之门”四个大字。他问身边的宰相赵普：“这‘之’字是做什么用的？”赵普解释说：“‘之’字是助词，用于凑成四字，显得吉利。”赵匡胤听了哈哈大笑：“之乎者也，这些虚词，能助得了什么事？
It is said that after Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty ascended the throne, he came to Zhuque Gate and saw the four large characters “Zhuque Gate” written on the gate. He asked Zhao Pu, his prime minister, “What is the purpose of this ‘zhi’ character?” Zhao Pu explained, “The ‘zhi’ character is an auxiliary word, used to make it four characters and seem auspicious.” Zhao Kuangyin laughed and said, “zhī hū zhě yě, these empty words, what use are they?”,
Usage
形容说话或文章过于文雅，或者故作姿态，卖弄文墨。常用于批评或讽刺那些不注意语言通俗易懂的人。
To describe speech or writing that is overly refined, or affected, or merely used to show off knowledge. Often used to criticize or satirize those who do not pay attention to making their language simple and easy to understand.
Examples
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他说话总是之乎者也的，让人难以理解。
tā shuō huà zǒng shì zhī hū zhě yě de, ràng rén nán yǐ lǐjiě。
He always speaks in a way that is hard to understand.
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这篇作文之乎者也，读起来很别扭。
zhè piān zuòwén zhī hū zhě yě, dú qǐ lái hěn bièniǔ。
This essay is full of obscure words, making it difficult to read.