遺

The core sense is "to leave behind," branching into three primary categories:

1. Loss and Displacement: To lose, misplace, or drop an object; the state of being lost.

2. Omission and Neglect: To omit a detail, leave out a word (particularly in transcription or commentary), or neglect a duty or person.

3. Residuals and Legacy: That which remains after death or the passing of an era, including bequests, wills, "the late" (as a modifier for a deceased person), and the surviving influence or style of a predecessor.

• Transitive Verb: To lose [x]; to omit [y].
• Intransitive/Resultative: To be left over; to remain.
• Attributive: Modifying nouns to indicate "remaining," "residual," or "the late" (deceased).

• vs. 餘 (surplus/remainder): While both refer to what remains, 餘 typically denotes a surplus or an additive remainder (what is left over after needs are met), whereas 遺 emphasizes detachment, separation, or the act of falling away from the original whole.
• vs. 逸 (escape/hidden): In contexts regarding "lost" texts, 遺 suggests loss through neglect or omission; 逸 suggests a text that has escaped official records or survived in hiding.

Simplified variant: U+9057

The glyph does not inherently distinguish between an accidental slip (forgetting/dropping) and a deliberate act of transmission (bequeathing). The distinction between "mistake" and "legacy" must be determined by the object being left behind and the surrounding context.