èrshísìshǐ
the Twenty-Four Histories (dynastic histories from remote antiquity till the Ming Dynasty), a long intricate story
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er4 shi2 si4 shi3
twenty four dynastic histories (or 25 or 26 in modern editions), fig. a long and complicated story
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二十四史
èr shí sì shǐ
（二十四部纪传体史书） the Twenty-Four Histories (dynastic histories from remote antiquity till the Ming Dynasty)
（长而复杂的故事） a long intricate story:
一部二十四史， 不知从何说起。 It's such a long and complicated story, I hardly know where to start.
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二十四史|二十四史 [Èr shí sì Shǐ] ► the Twenty-Four Histories (25 or 26 in modern editions), collection of books on Chinese dynastic history from 3000 BC till 17th century ► fig. a long and complicated story
Chinese-English dictionary. Academic. 2013.