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无名氏 (wú míng shì) — anonymous person; anonymous author

Definition

A set phrase meaning a person whose name is unknown or who chooses to stay unnamed. Most often used in writing to refer to an anonymous author or donor whose identity has been lost or withheld.

noun
anonymous personanonymous author
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 无名氏，。
    Zhè běn shū de zuò zhě shì wú míng shì, wǒ men bù zhī dào tā jiào shén me míng zì.
    The author of this book is anonymous; we don't know what name he goes by.
  • 无名氏，。
    Bēi wén shàng kè zhe yí gè wú míng shì de tí shī, zhì jīn wú rén kǎo zhèng qí shēn fèn.
    The inscription bears an anonymous poem, and no one has yet verified its author's identity.
  • 无名氏，。
    Dàng àn zhōng jì zǎi le yí wèi wú míng shì de juān zèng zhě, zhī liú xià le huà míng.
    The records mention an anonymous donor who left only a pseudonym.

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.

无名lacking name
无wúlack名míngname
动宾Verb + object
氏shìperson

无 indicates lacking, 名 is name, and 氏 points to a person, together meaning an anonymous person.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 無; 无 is its simplified writing.

For the simplified 无, the story is about 無. 無 drew a person dancing with ox tails held in both hands to pray for rain, then was borrowed for 'have no', so the picture does not explain that meaning.

Open 无 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

名 puts 夕 (crescent moon) above 口 (mouth), showing a name spoken in the dark.

Open 名 →

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

The shape of 氏 is debated: one reading shows a stick with a mark on top for a clan, while others show a person bending or a tree root.

Open 氏 →
Appears in
People (General)

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