Tangut Ideograph 1803A

Its dictionary gloss points to “sudden” or “abrupt.” Li Fanwen’s Tangut entry 4003 links it to Chinese 倏, also used for “hastily.”

Li Yuanhao ordered Tangut’s creation in 1036 for Western Xia (Xixia) state-building and Buddhist translation, distinguishing it from Song China. Khitan scripts, a century older, offered a model; one drew on Chinese writing. Tangut was not derived from Chinese, though Chinese models influenced its forms. Khara-Khoto manuscripts from Inner Mongolia include Buddhist texts and Chinese works translated into Tangut; one undated fragment may date from the 12th or early 13th century.