Yi syllable Shat

It is a Nuosu Yi syllable with a word gloss related to tying or binding.

A Nuosu word database published in 2022 gives glosses including “bundle,” “tie together,” and “bind tightly.” These describe words the syllable can represent; the character alone does not guarantee that translation.

Yi Pinyin is a Latin-letter spelling system used to enter Yi text; it spells this syllable shat, and its final t marks high tone. The same syllable can represent different words, so the surrounding Yi text decides which is meant.

How did the Yi script develop?

Yi writing grew across regional traditions over time.

The Nuosu Book of Origins, a book on Nuosu history and tradition, describes possible Yi-script inscriptions on Guizhou stone, bronze, pottery, and bone, including material assigned to the Western Han period and a stone inscription dated AD 223–37.

Bimo—Yi ritual specialists—hand-copied religious, medical, family-lineage, and historical texts; Liangshan families also used the script for letters. The Liangshan standard was developed from older local forms in 1974 and became official in 1980. Yi traditions across Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi share some syllabic ancestry but differ in forms, sounds, and meanings. The Liangshan standard serves schools, newspapers, official documents, and literature, but not every older Yi script.