A methodological procedure for the analysis of the Wenxian covenant texts

Abstract

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.