Tangut character 187C3

One study says “in the middle”; reference works differ. A 1993 analysis transcribes 𘟃’s reading as ngu² and glosses it “in the middle.” It treats the character as a Tangut locative: a word that adds place or direction to a noun, or tells where an action happens.

A Li Fanwen dictionary index instead lists the same glyph as lhju. These are different readings in reference works, so interpret a passage with its surrounding Tangut text and the dictionary tradition behind its edition.

Where did 𘟃 come from?

It belongs to a writing system made for the Tangut language. The script was created under Western Xia’s first emperor around 1036 to write Tangut. Tangut texts reach back to the 11th century and include official, private, and religious works; the script remained in use after Western Xia fell.

𘟃 is one lexical character in that system. It belongs to a Tangut locational set with words for inside, above, below, ahead, and behind.