Yi Syllable Murx

It represents a spoken syllable in Yi writing. The label “murx” follows Liangshan romanization; its final x marks the secondary-high tone, a pitch pattern. It is a pronunciation label, not an English gloss.

On its own, ꃇ does not identify a dependable translated word. Yi syllables can represent different words in context, so the surrounding sentence settles its lexical reading.

How did Yi writing change over time?

Some scholars read older stone, pottery, and bronze artifacts as Yi writing, but those readings are disputed. The secure surviving record includes a bronze bell dated 1485; paper and sheepskin Yi texts survive from around 1500. These belong to varied regional traditions, not one timeless standard.

Bimo, Yi ritual specialists, copied religious, magical, medical, and genealogical texts through local teacher-to-student lineages. The Liangshan standard was devised in 1974 and promulgated in 1980 to support literacy and preserve the writing system. It represents the Liangshan dialect and is used in textbooks, newspapers, public documents, and literature; it does not represent every Yi variety.

How do I type ꃇ?

A Yi input method can turn entered pronunciation into Yi candidates. Typing “murx” in an ordinary text box produces Latin letters; a Yi input method must convert the phonemes and let you select the matching character.