佚

yì, dié

亻 + 失

Definitions

yì surname Yi

dié old variant of 迭[dié]

yì (bound form) (of a book, author etc) lost (to the ages); (bound form) reclusive

Etymology

To lose 失 a person 亻

About

佚 is a phono-semantic compound: the left side 亻 (person) points to human conditions, while the right side 失 (lose) gives the sound and reinforces the idea of loss. Together they suggest losing a person, so the character conveys lost, missing, or idle. In historical and literary contexts, it often describes ancient texts, poems, or important documents that have been scattered and lost, and it can also refer to individuals who live quietly in obscurity away from official duties.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这本书是佚名作品。

Zhè běn shū shì yì míng zuò pǐn.

This book is an anonymous work.

古代文献常有佚失。

Gǔdài wénxiàn cháng yǒu yì shī.

Ancient documents are often lost.

这些佚文很有研究价值。

Zhèxiē yì wén hěn yǒu yánjiū jiàzhí.

These lost texts have great research value.

他找到了一部佚失的古籍。

Tā zhǎodào le yī bù yì shī de gǔjí.

He found a lost ancient book.

关于这位作者的生平已佚传。

Guānyú zhè wèi zuòzhě de shēngpíng yǐ yì chuán.

The biography of this author has been lost.

佚存的作品比流传的少得多。

Yì cún de zuòpǐn bǐ liúchuán de shǎo de duō.

The surviving lost works are much fewer than those passed down.

尽管努力搜寻，许多佚书仍未被发现。

Jǐnguǎn nǔlì sōuxún, xǔduō yì shū réng wèi bèi fāxiàn.

Despite efforts to search, many lost books have not been discovered.

学者们通过考证试图还原佚失的历史片段。

Xuézhě men tōngguò kǎozhèng shìtú huányuán yì shī de lìshǐ piànduàn.

Scholars attempt to restore lost historical fragments through textual research.

Related Characters

Component: 亻

Component: 失

佚