佚 (yì): (literary) (of a book or text)…

Meanings

1 (literary) (of a book or text) lost to later ages; missing
2 (literary) reclusive; at ease; dissolute

Characters

佚

yì

lost (of a text); reclusive

Examples

许多古籍在战乱中佚失，只剩书名。

Xǔduō gǔjí zài zhànluàn zhōng yì shī, zhǐ shèng shūmíng.

Many ancient texts were lost in war, and only their titles survive.

Tips

register

佚 is literary and bound. The 'lost text' sense lives in 佚失 (lost) and 佚名 (anonymous; author lost); the 'at ease / reclusive' sense overlaps with 逸. It is also a rare surname.

Components

radical

亻 rén

person (left-side form of 人)

The person radical 亻 (side form of 人) fits the original sense: 佚 first described a person living in seclusion and ease, the same flavor as 逸 carefree.

phonetic

失 shī

to lose; to miss

Right side 失 (to lose) is the sound element, shifting from shī to yì, and its 'lose' meaning chimes neatly with the 'lost text / missing' sense — so it serves as both sound and a faint meaning hint.