Tangut character 173CF

It means “behind,” “back,” or “after,” depending on context. In Li Fanwen’s Tangut dictionary, entry LFW 2503 glosses it as “behind”; broader glosses include “back,” “afterwards,” “later,” “future,” and “remaining.”

The senses connect space with sequence: what is behind can come later or be what remains. Nearby words help show which reading fits.

How was Tangut script created?

It was developed in the 11th-century Western Xia state. The state used it to write the Tangut language and for official and cultural work. A military-inspection document dated 1072 gives an early glimpse of Tangut in official use; it does not establish when this individual character first appeared. Later accounts credit the official Yeli Renrong with organizing the script’s creation as a broader state project.

Tangut writing drew on Chinese character traditions but has its own forms and vocabulary. A connection with Khitan has been proposed at the script level; that does not show that 𗏏 descends from or can replace a particular Chinese or Khitan character. After the Mongols conquered Western Xia in 1227, Tangut writing continued in Buddhist and monumental contexts; an inscription dated 1502 is among the latest known examples.

Why does 𗏏 show as a box?

The font or text control may lack Tangut support. A Tangut-capable font can render it, though typefaces may draw its strokes differently.

In UTF-16, a text encoding used by some software, 𗏏 is represented by two code units called a surrogate pair. Older text controls may split or reject that pair.