Tangut Character 17B69

In Tangut, this character carries a negative sense: “foolish” or “stupid.”

A scholarly Tangut transcription writes its reconstructed reading as viq₁. In the bilingual Tangut–Chinese phrasebook Pearl in the Palm, 𗭩 appears in phrases for a “foolish person” and an “ignorant little man.” The fuller surviving preface is dated 1190.

Why was this Tangut character created?

It belongs to a script created for the Western Xia state.

In 1036, Tangut ruler Li Yuanhao created the script for state use, including work on a Tangut Buddhist canon.

Tangut writing drew inspiration from Chinese writing and neighboring Khitan scripts while remaining a distinct system. Surviving works include Buddhist texts, Chinese classics in translation, encyclopedias, military writing, literature, and secular anecdotes. Tangut Buddhist materials continued after the Western Xia state fell.

What does it mean when someone sends 𗭩?

Without Tangut context, its historical sense does not tell you the sender’s intent.

It may be a Tangut word or a quotation from a historical text. Someone who reads Tangut could use the word to insult; a recipient who does not know the script may see only an unfamiliar character. Ask which text or phrase they have in mind.