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史册 (shǐ cè) — historical annals; pages of history

Definition

A formal, literary term for the historical record — closer to 'annals' than plain 历史. Usually appears in set phrases like 载入史册 ('go down in history').

noun
historical annalspages of history
Measure word · 本

Examples

  • 史册。
    Tā de gōng jì jiāng zǎi rù shǐ cè.
    His achievements will go down in history.
  • 史册。
    Zhè běn shǐ cè jì lù le nà ge cháo dài de xīng shuāi.
    This historical record documents the rise and fall of that dynasty.
  • 史册。
    shǐ cè Shàng jì zǎi le xǔ duō yīng xióng de gù shi.
    Many heroes' stories are recorded in the annals of history.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

史shǐhistory
册cèbook

史 means history and 册 means book, together referring to historical records.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The old drawing showed someone holding a flag-like or writing tool, indicating the act of recording events; the exact inner shape is unclear.

Open 史 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 冊; 册 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 冊 shows bamboo slips strung together, the pages of a book; the simplified 册 is a later shorthand.

Open 册 →
Appears in
History

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