📖 Meaning
Refers to ancient texts and classics that have been scattered, lost, or survive only in fragmentary form. It evokes the image of incomplete bamboo-slip manuscripts, remnants of once-complete works that have been damaged or dispersed over centuries.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Tang Dynasty calligrapher Huaisu's 'Self-Narration' (《自叙》), an autobiographical piece in which he recounts his artistic journey. Huaisu wrote that whenever he encountered fragmentary and scattered ancient texts, his mind would open wide and all doubts would dissolve. The phrase captures the thrill of discovering rare surviving fragments of lost classical works.
💡 Example Usage
学者从海外找回一批遗编绝简，填补了学术空白。
The scholar retrieved a batch of scattered and fragmentary ancient texts from overseas, filling a gap in academic research.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 遗编绝简
- Pinyin: yí biān jué jiǎn
- Literal Translation: lost, compiled writings, broken, manuscripts
- Category: Knowledge
- Characters: 4