Yi Syllable Purx

It records a syllable, not a complete word. In Liangshan romanization, purx represents its sound and tone; final x marks a mid-high pitch, not an extra sound. The surrounding syllables form the word that can be translated.

Traditional Yi writing, also called Cuan or Wei, had regional forms used by bimo (ritual specialists) for religious, medical, magical, and genealogical texts. One tradition credits Aki during the Tang dynasty (618–907); proposed Yi inscriptions from the Western Han (206 BCE–9 CE) remain disputed. Surviving evidence includes a bronze bell inscription dated 1485 and manuscripts around 1500. The Liangshan standard was devised in 1974 and promulgated in 1980; it covers only that variety.