逸事 (yì shì) — anecdote (often about a famous person); lost or…

Definition

Literary term for an anecdote about a famous person — often unverified, apocryphal, or lost to history. More formal than the everyday 故事.

noun

anecdote (often about a famous person)lost or apocryphal story about a famous person

Easily confused

逸事。
Zhè běn shū shōu jí le xǔ duō míng rén de yì shì.
This book collects many famous people's anecdotes.
逸事。
Tā jiǎng le yí gè guān yú huáng dì de yì shì.
He told an anecdote about an emperor.
逸事，。
Zhè xiē yì shì suī rán quē fá zhèng jù, dàn hěn yǒu qù.
These anecdotes lack evidence, but are very interesting.

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.

逸yìunusual or lost

逸 means unusual or lost and 事 means story, so it is an unusual or lost story about someone.

Characters in this word

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

The old form of 逸 combined 止 and 㚔.

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

In 事, 又 is a hand and 中 is a flagpole with a drum; holding a flag in hand depicts performing a job.