A methodological procedure for the analysis of the Wenxian covenant texts
Issue Date
2005Author
Williams, Crispin
魏克彬
Publisher
Peter Lang
Type
Article
Article Version
Scholarly/refereed, publisher version
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
This article introduces a systematic methodological procedure for the analysis of Chinese
palaeographic materials, constructed in this instance for the analysis ofthe Wenxian covenant texts
{Wënxiàn mêngshû ÌSHS§). The covenant texts have been dated to the early fifth century BC
and were produced in the state of Jin §; both the script and language of the covenants present
problems of interpretation. The article first briefly introduces the tablets, on which the texts were
written, and gives an example of the most commonly found type of covenant. A number of key
palaeographic terms used in the description of the methodological procedure are then defined and
discussed. These include terms related to characters, their non-standard forms and the components
of which they are constmcted, as well as terminology associated with transcription. Following this,
the methodological procedure adopted for the analysis of the Wenxian texts is set out. The article
concludes with the observation that the procedure has proven generally successful in the analysis
of the texts under consideration. It also suggests that such a procedure is transferable to the
analysis of other palaeographic materials and that an understanding of this methodology can aid
the appraisal of transcriptions and annotations of previously published excavated texts.
Description
This is the publisher's official version, also available electronically from: http://dx.doi.org/10.5169/seals-147669
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Citation
Williams, Crispin. “A Methodological Procedure for the Analysis of the Wenxian Covenant Texts”. Asiatische Studien LIX•1•2005, pp.61–114. http://dx.doi.org/10.5169/seals-147669
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