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

Definition

无名氏 is a noun meaning 'anonymous person' or 'anonymous author', used when a person's identity is unknown or deliberately concealed. You'll often see it in literary colophons (e.g., 无名氏作 'anonymous work'), historical records, or legal documents. It has a slightly formal or literary tone — in daily conversation, 匿名的人 or 不知道名字的人 is more common.

anonymous personanonymous author

Examples

无名氏，。
Zhè běn shū de zuòzhě shì wú míng shì, wǒmen bù zhīdào tā jiào shénme míngzì.
The author of this book is anonymous; we don't know what name he goes by.
无名氏，。
Bēiwén shàng kè zhe yí ge wú míng shì de tíshī, zhìjīn wúrén kǎozhèng qí shēnfèn.
The inscription bears an anonymous poem, and no one has yet verified its author's identity.
无名氏，。
Dàng'àn zhōng jìzǎi le yí wèi wú míng shì de juānzèng zhě, zhǐ liú xià le huàmíng.
The records mention an anonymous donor who left only a pseudonym.

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