Tangut Component 573

It is a component used to analyze Tangut characters. The Unicode component system uses pieces like this to describe how larger Tangut characters are structured and to index them in dictionaries and glossaries. The number 573 is an index label, not a reading or translation.

Different dictionaries and publications use different Tangut component sets, so 573 is a label within a scholarly classification, not a universal Tangut radical. A component can be structural without having an independent meaning or being used alone.

Why was the Tangut script created?

It was created as part of Tangut state-building. The script was created in 1036 under Emperor Li Yuanhao and gave the state a written identity distinct from Song China. It carried Buddhist scripture and translations, as well as Chinese classics, encyclopedias, military works, and literature.

Tangut writing drew on Chinese writing principles, but was not simply derived from Chinese. A manuscript surviving from Khara-Khoto, a ruined settlement, probably dates to the 12th or early 13th century. Tangut works also include translations from Chinese and Tibetan; the neighboring Khitan scripts offer a regional comparison.