Хятан бага бичгийн хөшөөнд дурдагдсан хөшөөний эзний зан чанар хийгээд эрдэм чадварын тухай

Research on the Presentation of Personalities and Skills of Epitaph Owners in Khitan Small Script Epitaphs (I)

Abstract

Epitaphs, a product of ancient Chinese burial systems, possess fixed structures and compositional conventions, documenting the deceased’s name, year of death, and life events. Typically consisting of three components—the opening (title and author attribution), the main body (narratives of lineage and life events, supplemented by rhymed eulogies for mourning or praise), and the conclusion (recording the writer, engraver, and date of composition)—they serve as standardized commemorative texts. Influenced by Han culture, Khitan-script epitaphs bear striking similarities to their Chinese counterparts in both form and content. While existing decipherment efforts have yielded progress in understanding the owner’s genealogy and basic textual structure, research on the deceased’s personal details—particularly descriptions of personalities and skills—remains limited, with associated compositional conventions yet to be clarified. Focusing on the Khitan small-script Epitaph of Xiao Zhonggong, this paper elaborates on the stylistic conventions for depicting the epitaph owner in Khitan small-script epitaphs and interprets relevant vocabulary. This pioneering analysis addresses a gap in current scholarship.