ancient minor official; later refers to novels or anecdotal writings
Meanings
2 senses · 7 examplesnoun
ancient minor imperial official
literaryUsed in classical Chinese contexts to refer to low-ranking court officials tasked with collecting folk stories and public opinions for the emperor.
The street talks and anecdotes recorded by minor imperial officials preserved a great deal of Han Dynasty folk customs for later generations.
The Han Dynasty established the position of minor imperial official to collect folk rumors and stories.
noun
novels; anecdotal writings
literaryExtended meaning used in modern literary contexts to refer to fictional novels or casual historical anecdote collections, often with a connotation of non-official, folk origin.
The Ming and Qing dynasties saw a peak in the creation of fictional novels and anecdotal writings.
This ancient book collects a large number of strange anecdotes from历代 unofficial historical writings and fictional novels.
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He likes to flip through all kinds of fictional novels and anecdotal writings in his spare time to learn about all aspects of folk life.
Later scholars often dig up historical materials not included in official histories from the records of anecdotal writings.
Qing Dynasty scholars organized many folk legends into collections of anecdotal writings.