遺書

简 遗书 · 繁 遺書
Mandarin · pinyin yí shū

Meanings

  1. posthumous writing
  2. testament
  3. suicide note
  4. ancient literature
Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

遺
Look up this written character
書
Look up this written character
遗
yí · lose; articles lost; omit
书
shū · book, letter, document; writings
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

2–1 · yi2 shu1

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

2character links
Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗
Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

遺書 · find source passages ↗ · 遗书 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Rime · Wiktionary

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

wai4 syu1

Cantonese word readings for 遺書. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

noun

  1. (chiefly in book titles) posthumous papers; writings of an author now dead
  2. a letter or note left by one immediately before death (which might not be legally effective)
  3. (literary) ancient literature that was once lost and scattered

verb

  1. (Classical) to send a letter; to write to someone

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack