二十四史 èr shí sì shǐ

DEFINITIONS

  1. the Twenty-Four Histories (25 or 26 in modern editions), collection of books on Chinese dynastic history from 3000 BC till 17th century
  2. fig. a long and complicated story

CHARACTERS

二 èr two; twice
十 shí ten, tenth; complete; perfect
四 sì four
史 shǐ history, chronicle, annals