人有賣駿馬者，比三旦立市，人莫之知。往見伯樂曰：“臣有駿馬，欲賣之，比三旦立於市，人莫與言，願子還而視之，去而顧之，臣請獻一朝之賈。“伯樂乃還而視之，去而顧之，一旦而馬價十倍。
Rén yǒu mài jùn mǎ zhě, bǐ sān dàn lì shì, rén mò zhī zhī. Wǎng jiàn Bó lè yuē: "Chén yǒu jùn mǎ, yù mài zhī, bǐ sān dàn lì yú shì, rén mò yǔ yán, yuàn zǐ huán ér shì zhī, qù ér gù zhī, chén qǐng xiàn yī zháo zhī jià." Bó lè nǎi huán ér shì zhī, qù ér gù zhī, yī dàn ér mǎ jià shí bèi.
Object-fronting
Object-fronting or prepositive object refers to a phenomenon where the usual order V+O becomes O+V. In 人莫之知 the verb is 知 and the object is 之. The regular order is 人莫知之 (Nobody knows it.) Two conditions must be met in this construction: 1. the object must be a pronoun, the sentence must be negative.
The meaning of 之
之 in this lesson is used as a pronoun ( it) except for 一朝之賈.
人莫之知 nobody know it (he is selling the horse)
欲賣之 want to sell it (horse)
願子還而視之 want you to return and watch it (horse)
去而顧之 leaves and looks back at it (horse)
一朝之賈 whole morning's price
For all adverbs 而、乃, refer to the textbook.