Harvard-Yenching Institute

The Sino-Mongolian Inscription of 1240

Author(s): Francis Woodman Cleaves
Source: Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, Vol. 23 (1960 - 1961), pp. 62-75
Published by: Harvard-Yenching Institute
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 THE SINO-MONGOLIAN INSCRIPTION
OF 1240
FRANCIS WOODMAN CLEAVES
HARVARD UNIVERSITY

NTIL Ts'ai Mei-piao0M1 publishedhis Yiuan-taipai-

hua-Peichi-lutK1<;Jt2 Recordsof Yuan
[Collected
DynastyPai-hua Stelae] in 1955 the earliest known monu-
mentsof the Mongolian language were the so-called "Stone of Cinggis
Qan"3 of 1220-1225 and the impressionof the seal of Giiyiig affixed
to a Persian documentof 1 246.4 With the publication of Ts'ai's book
we now have a monumentwhichfallsbetweenthose of 1220-1225 and
1246 respectively,namely the Sino-Mongolianinscriptionof 1240.
Ts'ai, fortunately,included in his book a reproductionof the rub-
bing of the stele on which the Mongolian textis found.5It is labelled:
(-)--lSO?jA+X*XgAElW "(2) Stele of the Edict of
1240 at the Shih-fangta-tzu-wei kung6in Chi-yiian." Although the

1 AlthoughI have no biographicaldata on thisscholar,it would appear thathe is asso-

cia tedwiththeChung-kuok'o-hsiieh-yiian4' N [ChineseAcademyofSciences].
2Chung-kuo k'o-hsiueh-yiuan yiu-yenyen-chiu-so rp4 !-M =-Jt.W [In-
stituteof Linguistics and Philology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences], Pei-ching
4U4L 1955. Pp. 4+ 133 (+ pl. 1-4). For a reviewof thisworkcf.IriyaYoshitakaA)*
jA, "Sai Mihoshihen [Gendaihakuwa-hi wo yomu"
shisrokuj # OA7t;t
{- M3
#:pO j j tf [""Readingthe rGendaihakuwa-hishuiroku]Compiled by Mr. Sai
Mih6"], TIho gakuho*uIijIK#,Vol. 26, 1956, pp. 186-228.
3 For the most recentstudyof this textcf. Louis Hambis, "A propos de la aPierre de
Gengis-khan),"Melangespublie's ar l'Institutdes Hautes EtudesChinoises,Tome second,
Bibliotheque de l'InstitutdesHautesEtudesChinoises,
Volume xiv, Paris, lg6o,pp. 141-157.
4 For the most recent study of this textcf. Antoine Mostaert et Francis Woodman

Cleaves, "Trois DocumentsMongols des ArchivesSecretesVaticanes," Harvard Journal

ofAsiaticStudies, Volume 15, Numbers3 and 4, December, 1952, pp. 419-506 (+ pl. I-
VIII) (pp. 485-495).
5 Cf. Plate 2 (herein reproducedas Plate i).
6 In the entryon "Ssu-kuan" * ("Temples") in the Ho-nan t'ung-chihT0i14li
,^ 5o(ts'e23).1r2-38r5 we read (13rlO-13vl):
62

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 THE SINO-MONGOLIAN INSCRIPTION OF 1240 63

Chinese text is the translationof a Mongolian original of which only

the terminalformulae,including the date, were cut on the same side
of the stone, it is obvious that,unless the initialformulaeand body of
the Mongolian originalwere cut on the otherside of the stone or on a
separate stone, the major part of the Mongolian textwas never so im-
mortalized.This is the more regrettablein that,to judge by the word
alda-y-situpreserved in the second of the three extant lines of the
Mongolian text,it probablycontained vocabularyof the period which
as yet has not been recovered throughother sources. That we have
even threelines of the textis owing to the factthat the Taoist monk,
Ch'ien Chih-t'ung s, who traced and cut the Chinese text on
the stone, also traced and cut the three lines of the Mongolian text,
presumably,to lend a greaterair of authorityto the Chinese text of
the Edict. This explains the factthat the lettersof several Mongolian
words are rathergrotesquely-in fact,inaccurately- written.It also
explains thereason forwhich the readingsoftwoor threewords in the
textare still questionable.
Ts'ai Mei-piao informsus that the stele is found in the Chi-yiuan-
hsien WMIN88 in Ho-nan-sheng i014*W. During the Yuan the Chi-
yiian-hsienwas under thejurisdictionof the Huai-ch'ing-lu lv.10
However, in the timeof Ogedei (, Ogodei) Qayan (1229-1241) the
region was known as Huai-chou WON+I." Inasmuch as the Edict was
issued to certainofficials lu
of the P'ing-yang-fu 'Af.W,12 includ-
ing one in Ch'in-chou CJ ,13 it is
ift' clear that the Chinese and Mon-

"The Tzu-wei-kung :t& is located at the footof the Wang-wu-shan3EJ jl,

1oo 1i j northwestof the Chi-yiuan-hsien . It is the place where Ssu-ma
Ch'eng-cheng PI 4X; i ( = ) of theT'ang ) stayedovernight.It was foundedat
the beginningof [the] Shao-sheng 3 [period] [1094-1098] of the Sung 5 It was
restoredduring [the] Ta-te -kV, [period] [1297-1307] of theYuan j7c. It was rebuilt
in thelst yearof [the]T'ien-shunWA16[period][1457-14641 oftheMingEIJ."
7 I have not foundany referenceto this monk elsewhere.
8 For Chi-yiian cf. Ting Wen-chiangTIZM et al., Chung-hua min-kuohsin-ti-t'u
rP.XJU J&N (Shen-pao Ep4), Shanghai, 1934, maps 22 and 23, 1120 32. E.,
350 o8 'N.
9 For Ho-nan-shengcf. op. cit.,maps 22 and 23, 28 and 29, and 30 and 31.
10 Cf. the Yuan shih58(ts'e 1g).17v6-18r3.
1 Cf. the Yuan shih58(ts'e 1g).17v6-9.
12Cf. the Yuan shih58(ts'e 19).35rlo-35v3 and 36r6.
13 Cf. the Yrianshih58(ts'e 1g).38rl-4.

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64 FRANCIS WOODMAN CLEAVES

golian textson the stele at the Shih-fangta-tzu-weikung in the Chi-

yiian-hsienare farremovedfromthe area to which theywere directed.
It is evident that they are not applicable to the Shih-fangta-tzu-wei
kungas such. Therefore,the reasons forwhich theywere cut on stone
at that temple is a matterof speculation.
The singularimportanceof the Chinese textof the inscriptionlies
in the factthat it is an additional primarysource forthe storyof the
printingof the Taoist Canon at the beginningof the Yuan-a storyof
which only the most meagre details have been transmitted.
As to theMongolian text,it consistsofonly threelines, presumably,
the last threeof a Bicig which probablydid not consist of more than a
dozen lines in all. Even the three lines which have been preserved
seem not to be complete,forthe textterminateswith the words qula-
'yana3ileeratyear,"ratherthantheusual formulawhichincludestheday
and the monthof the year as well as the name of the place where the
Bicig was written.Such a concluding formulawould itselfterminate
with the words . .. biikiii-diir bicibei ". . . [We] have written [it (-the
Bicig)], at the moment when [We] were [in] ... ." At least two words
in the text present difficultproblems in reading, for they are so im-
perfectlywrittenthatit is virtuallyimpossible to be certainof the ex-
actitude of the readings which I have proposed. Despite the disap-
pointingfeaturesof the threelines in Mongolian, the existenceof the
word alda'y-situalone lends to the text an importancewhich com-
mends it to our attention.
I have included in this article the followingreproductions:
(1) "ePlateI" (Ts'ai's reproductionof a rubbingof the stele).
(2) "Plate II" (Ts'ai's transcriptionof the Chinese text together
with his annotations).
To both Dr. William Hung (A)93) and the Reverend Antoine
MostaertI wish to express my gratefulindebtednessforthe material
assistance which they have given me in the study and solution of
problems in the Chinese and Mongolian textsrespectively.
In making these acknowledgments,I do not, in any manner,dis-
claim responsibilityfor the imperfectionsof my work.

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 THE SINO-MONGOLIAN INSCRIPTION OF 1240 65

TRANSLATION OF THE CHINESE TEXT

The Edict (f ) 1 of the Yeh-k'oHo-tun "WAt (Yeke Qadun) ,2

Ta Huang-hou *g ,3 who, as hitherto,conducts the affairsof the
EasternPalace (*') 4 in [virtueof] the Edict (t ) of the Em-
peror,6as wellas theEdict ( i) oftheConcubines(ad+) ,8 saying
to9the ta-lu-hua-ch'ihX X r (daruyaci)'0 and the kuan-min-kuan
Inxlfl of the P'ing-yang-fulu *%A-1 :12
"eWhereas[you,] Tu Feng *tL,13 kuan-min-kuanof Ch'in-chou
JCN)ff,14may serveas thet'i-lingta-shih 9 kfi*f15 to manage("?)16
such mattersas the cutting [of the blocks] (J12)'7 of the Tao-tsang-
ching2;MM18 as well as the building (f")19 [ofan edifice],if20 you
do not have the time,let your wife (ki )21 be in charge of the man-
agement [thereof]. Moreover,regardless of22 whatsoever t'ou-hsia
-T23 officialpersonnel (CRA)24 and others it may be, they shall
not disturb [the work]. If [anyone] violate [this],let him be punished
forhis transgression."25
Respect this.26
SEAL OF

The 17th day ofthe3rd moonoftheyearkeng-tzu

gj 27 [1o April
1240].

THE EMPEROR28

A tao-shiht?29 of thiskungl,30 Ch'ien Chih-t'ung ,'CA31,31 has

traced and cut (40)) [the texts] on stone.32

NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION OF THE CHINESE TEXT

1 For this termcf.Ed. Chavannes,"Inscriptionset pieces de chancelleriechinoises de
l'epoque mongole," T'oung pao, Serie ii, Vol. v, 1904, pp. 357-447 (p. 368, n. 3): "un
edit de l'imperatrice-douariere"and Chavannes, op. cit.,p. 434, n. 3: "un decret ema-
nant de l'imperatrice."It is the latterdefinitionwhich is applicable here. Cf. also Paul
Ratchnevsky,Un Codedes Yuan, Paris, 1937, p. 28, n. i: "el'dit ... rendu par l'Impera-
trice."
2 In rekeQadun "Great Empress" we have the Mongolian termforthe principalwife
of the emperor.As to Qadun, it is an alternateformof Qatun. For the -d- -t-in Middle
Mongolian, cf., e.g., Marian Lewicki, La Langue mongoledes transcriptions chinoisesdu
XIVe siecle.Le Houa-yiyi-yude 1389, Wroclaw, 1949, p. 107?1.

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 66 FRANCIS WOODMAN CLEAVES

Ts'ai Mei-piao is undoubtedlyrightin stating(OP.cit.,p. 7, n. 2) thatYekeQadun here

refersto the Empress T6regene. In the "Hou-fei piao Fk34j " ["Table of Empresses
and Concubines"] in the Yiian shih 1o6(ts'e 36).1r4-5v we read (lv) under the rubric
"T'ai-tsung *,":
"T'o-lieh-ko-na ffJEfl (T6regene):SixthEmpress.N&eNai-ma-chen
7)JMry
(Naimajin). When the cyclicalyearwas jen-yin gi [1242], T'ai-tsung died. The Em-
press was regent (QN)-four years in all. In the 2nd year of Chih-yiian [1265] she
was posthumouslycanonized Chao-tz'uhuang-hou E
3 In Ta Huang-hou"Great Empress" we have theChinese translation of theMongolian
reke Qadun (- Qatun).
4 Although the termtung-kung"Eastern Palace" is usually used in referenceto the

Huang-t'ai-tzu "i;jr "Crown Prince"-cf., e.g., the entryin the Yiian shih 92(ts'e
31).5v5-6r2-it is clear that,in thisinstance,it refersto the ordoor "palace" in which
Toregene resided. In the "Hou-fei piao" (see note 2 above) we read (1r7-8):
"This being so, [as to] theirhabitations,then, therewas the division of [themby]
wo-erh-to *If (ordo). When theydied, in turn,therewere regulations [in respect]
of the perpetual upkeep of the palace [in question.]"
5 For this termcf. Chavannes, op. cit., p. 368, n. 3: "un edit de l'empereur" and
Ratchnevsky,op. cit.,p. 28, n. i: "Il'edit... rendu par l'Empereur."
6 I.e., Ogedei (- Ogodei) Qa-yanwho was born in ii86, ascended the throneon 13
September1229, and died on 1i December 1241. Cf. A. C. Moule, "A Table of the Em-
perors of the Yiuan Dynasty," Journalof theNorthChina Branchof theRoyal AsiaticSo-
ciety45 (1914).124 + "Table."
7 To the definitions of thistermgivenin note 1 above thereshould also be added that
of "Edict of a Concubine."
8 It is virtuallyimpossible to determineto which concubines referenceis made.
9 For the expression
MA (tao yii) translatinga Mongolian -da/-de -ta/-teor -dur/
-diur -tur/-tur... kemen"saying to . . . ," cf.Chavannes, OP.cit.,p. 368, n. 4, p. 388,
n. 3, p. 396, n. 1, and p. 406, n. 4.
10 For this termcf. Chavannes, OP.cit.,p. 389, n. 1, Ratchnevsky,OP.cit.,p. 32, n. 3,
and Francis Woodman Cleaves, "The Sino-MongolianInscriptionof 1362 in Memoryof
Prince Hindu," Harvard JournalofAsiaticStudies,Volume 12, June, 1949, Numbers i
and 2, p. 57, n. 178, and p. 124, n. 198.
11I.e., "Officialswho governthe people." Cf. e.g., Ratchnevsky,OP.cit.,p. 32, n. 4.
12 ForP'ing-yang-fulu, i.e., the P'ing-yang-fuCircuit,cf. the riian shih 58(ts'e 19)
.35r10-35v3,wherewe read (35r10-35v1): "At thebeginningof theYuan it (i.e., P'ing-
yang-fu)became P'ing-yang-lu.In the gth year of T'ai[sic]-te * [sic]f [1305], be-
cause ofan earthquake,it was changed to Chin-ning-lu i Cf.also Ratchnevsky,
op. cit., p. 261, n. 1.
3 I have not succeeded in identifyingthisperson.
14For Ch'in-chou cf. the Yiian shih58(ts'e 19).38ri-2.
15I.e., "Commissioner-in-Charge."Strictlyspeaking,thewordst'i-lingta-shihdo not
constitutean establishedtitle,althoughboth elements,t'i-lingand ta-shih,are used in-
dependentlyto designatespecificfunctions.Cf., e.g., Ratchnevsky,op. cit.,p. 254, n. 1.
16 The words kou-tangare frequentlyencounteredin textsof the Yuan period. Used

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 THE SINO-MONGOLIAN INSCRIPTION OF 1240 67

substantivelytheycorrespondto the Mongolian iile "matter,"e"affair."Cf. Erich Hae-

nisch, Wdrterbuch zu Mang4ol un Niuca Tobca'an (Yiian-ch'aopi-shi), GeheimeGeschichte
derMongolen,Leipzig, 1939, p. 16i. For an exampleof theirsubstantiveuse cf.Ratchnev-
sky,OP.cit.,p. 293, n. 1. (This is not registeredin Francoise Aubin, "Index de <<UnCode
des Yuan)) de P. Ratchnevsky,"Melangespubliespar l'InstitutdesHauitesEtudesChinoises,
Tome second, Paris, 1960, pp. 423-515.)
17 For the words tiao-tsaocf. Paul Pelliot,Les De'butsde l'imprimerie en Chine,Oeuvres
posthutmes de Paul Pelliot,Paris, 1953, p. 124, n. 3.
18 For this edition of the Taoist Canon cf. Pelliot, OP. cit.,p. 93: "Sous les Yuan, un
Canon taoique,comprenant,,plus de 7.800 liasses,, , futgravea P'ing-yang-foudu Chan-
si par les soinsdu ;t- f P'i-yun-tseu."For additionaldetailscf.Paul Pelliot,"Compte
rendu" of Dr. L. Wieger, S.J., Taoisme,Tome i, in Journal asiatiqute,Dixieme serie,
Tome xx, No 1, Juillet-Aout1912, pp. 141-156 (pp. 144-145).
` of the
In an Imperial Rescript ( > ) 20th day of the ioth moon of the 18th
year of Chih-yiianff, that is, 1 January1282, in the Pien-weilu j by the
monkHsiang-mai Wj oftheYuanin theTaisho shinshu7 Daizokyo*iTh1iF *,A
g 52, No. 2116,pp. 751-781(pp.764-765),we read(p. 764b):"Moreover, in the
Wangtsu-shih T.TiiJil cloisters [of]placessuchas Pao-ting hI*, Chen-ting JAS
T'ai-yiuan *,, P'ing-yang4"jM,andHo-chung-fu iin,Jftandin Kuan-hsi i4 J
there areblocks oftheTao-tsang-ching WA." From thisitisclearthattheblocks of
thisedition oftheTaoist Canon werestillinexistence in theyear1282.
19Thewordshsiu-kai, although verygeneral in sense,presumably hererefer tothe
construction ofan edifice where thework maybeundertaken.
20On2 December 1955Professor Lien-sheng Yanginformed methatthewords ffEw;j
(shih-chieh)havea conditional force.
21 1 havenotsucceeded inidentifying thisperson who,tojudgebythecontext, was
qualified toassumetheresponsibility whichsuchmatters entailed.
22 Thewordsf;Ja(piti) areequivalent to F;ig (Pulun).
23 In t'ou-hsiaj wehavea variant ofthemoreusualt'ou-hsia 1-F.Forthisterni
ofwhichtheMongolian originalwasayima-y cf.Francis Woodman Cleaves, "TheHis-
toricity oftheBaljunaCovenant," Harvard Journal ofAsiatic Studies,Volumei8, De-
cember, 1955,Numbers 3 and4, pp. 357-421(p. 365,n. 26).
24 I.e.,"functionaries ofdiverse categories."
25 In the wordsX P& (yaotsui-kuoche)wehavea formula which is alsoattested
inanedictpublished byErichHaenisch, Steuergerechtsame derchinesischenKldster unter
derMongolenherrschaft, Leipzig,1940, p. 59,1.9,with theMongolian original "ere'uten
boltuhayi." Haenisch, op.cit.,p. 63,1. 24, translated theformula as "sollenstrafbar
sein."It is further attested, withtheaddition oftwowords, in an edictpublished by
Chavannes, of.cit.,p. 403, as M E ; (i-t'iyaotsui-kuoche)which Chavannes
translated "ils seront punisde la memepeine."In hisdiscussion ofthisandsimilar
formulae Chavannes, op.cit.,p.379,n. 1,suggested: "Le mot-A paralt impliquer le sens
de aseproduirei, otelestle faitquiseproduit ouquiarrivei'." Thisis notcorrect. The
wordstsui-kuo V constitute a conmpound "offense-transgression." Cf.Herbert A.
Giles,A Chinese-English Dictionary, SecondEdition, Revisedand Enlarged, 1912, p.
[14721,no. 1i,91o: "XX orgM or orMl crime;sin;wrong."

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68 FRANCIS WOODMAN CLEAVES
26 For the formula
I0!t(chun tz'u) cf. Chavannes,oP. cit.,p. 371, n. 1, p. 390, n. 2,
and p. 403, n. 2.
27 As Ogedei (- Ogodei) Qa-yandied on 11 December 1241, it is clear thathe was still

alive when this edict was issued and thatT6regene was not yet regent.
28 The seal charactersare to be read as follows: j@;t (Huang-ti chihpao).
29 I.e., Taoist priest.

30 Lit., "palace." However, in Taoist terminologythe termis used in the sense of

"temple."
31 1 have not succeeded in identifying thisperson.
32 AlthoughI have translatedthisline here withthe Chinese textof the inscription,it
is foundat the veryend of the inscriptionafterthe Mongolian text.

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 THE SINO-MONGOLIAN INSCRIPTION OF 1240 69

TRANSCRIPTION OF THE MONGOLIAN TEXT

[1] ene minu iugebusi bolyay-san kiumiin

[2] yeke alday-situboltuyai[.]ene
[3] bicvigqulayanajil
TRANSLATION OF THE MONGOLIAN TEXT

[1] The person who shall have contravened' this2my word,3

[2] let him be held greatly. . ? . . punishable.5This
[3] Writ.6The yearoftherat.7

NOTES TO THE TRANSLATION OF THE MONGOLIAN TEXT

1 The words busi bolyay-sankiimiin"the person who shall have contravened"maybe
comparedwiththe words busi bolyaqunaran "people who shall contravene"attestedin
theTeheran documents.Cf. Francis Woodman Cleaves, "The Mongolian Documents in
the Musee de Teheran," Harvard Journalof Asiatic Studies16(1953).1-107+Plates i-II
(p. 26, "Document III," 1. 6; p. 32, "Document III," 1. 14; and p. 49, n. 18 and n. 19).
The expression busi bolya- "to contravene" (lit., "to cause to be other") is well at-
testedin numerousearlyMongolian texts.Cf., e.g., AntoineMostaertet Francis Wood-
man Cleaves, "Trois documents mongols des Archives secretes vaticanes," Harvard
Journal of Asiatic Studies 15(1952).419-516 + "Planches" i-viii (p. 464, "Lignes 22-
25") .
2 My readingof thisword is tentative.When comparedwiththeword at theend of the
second line, which is indubitablyene,it would seem ratherto be eyin"thus." As it is
written,however,it also suggests-gine,the second halfof *Tiregine T.?iregene. If such
a readingwerecorrect,thefirsthalfofthe name-Tfre-would have appeared at the end
of the preceding line. However, it seems highlyunlikelythat the name of the person
fromwhom the Bicig emanated would have been fracturedin this manner.One would
expect to findthe name of theEmpress elevatedto thebeginningof theline-the firstas
the texthas been transmitted-so thatwe would have Thregineminu uige.
3 At firstglance,it would appear thatin minuuigewe have a variationof themoreusual
iugemanu in which manu is an appositiveof the name whichimmediatelyprecedes (cf.,
e.g., Ar-yuniige manu). However, unless we are to read -gineminu uige,"Word of me,
[Tore]gine," we mustunderstandthe words minu uigeas I have translatedthem.From
the use of uigein this text,it is clear that,despite the occurrence of the term a;ES
(i-chih)in the Chinese text,the practicewherebyan edict emanatingfroman Empress
came to be designatedin Mongolian by the same Chinese term(cf. Mostaertet Cleaves,
oP. cit.,p. 435, n. 15) did not yet obtain.
4 The wordwhichfollowsyekeis writtenin such a mannerthatit is difficult to propose
a readingwhichis convincing.As it stands,theword would appear to be nengeor nenke,

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70 FRANCIS WOODMAN CLEAVES

ange or anke,or possiblynegeor neke.Togetherwithyekeit would appear to forma "mot-

couple," but, as none of the suggested readingsyields anythingwhich is recognizable
eitherindependentlyor in conjunctionwithyeke,it is futileto speculate as to what the
word itselfor the "mot-couple," ifit be such, mightsignify.For this reason I have pre-
ferredto leave the word untranscribedand untranslated.
5 For the readingof the word alday-situI am indebted to the ReverendAntoineMos-
taert,who remarkedin a letterof 14 December 1955:
"je lis le mot qui suit alday-situ,que j'explique commeetantun adjectifen -tuforme
sur aldaysi, qui seraitsynonymede aldal. Aldaysituboltuyaiseraitdonc l'equivalent de
aldaltai boltuyai.Aldasi est un mot atteste. Si aldaysitu est correctementlu, il faut en
conclurequ'a cote de alda- ce verbea eu une formealday-. Pour cette derniereparticu-
larit6,l'on ne peut dire a priori que alday- soit impossible,parce que, p. ex. Hist. secr.
ila,y-'vaincre' existe a cote de Hist. secr.et mo. ila- idem."
Aldasi, as the Reverend Antoine Mostaerthas indicated,is an attestedword. Cf. Mr.
MatthewHaltod, Mr. D. Wangchindorji,Mrs. GeshigtogdahoFu, Miss Vera McGillivray
and S. J. Gunzel, Mongol-EnglishPractical DictionarywithEnglish WordReference List,
The Evangelical Alliance Mission, 1949-1953, p. 2ob: "Fault, error,mistake." Cf. also
Folke Boberg, Mongolian-EnglishDictionary,i, A-Ghachigho tarani,Stockholm,1954,
p. 5ib: "Failure." The word is not registeredin Joseph Etienne Kowalewski,Diction-
naire mongol-russe-franfais, Tome premier,Kasan, 1844. Cf., however,the word aldas,
op. cit.,p. 88b: "une petitefaute,defaut." It is more than probable thataldas is, in fact,
a misprintforaldasi. (For the synonymaldal cf.also Kowalewski,op. cit.,p. 88b: "faute,
erreur,manquement,omission; peche.") For the Ordos formof aldasi cf. Antoine Mo-
staert,Dictionnaireordos,Tome premier(A-I), The Catholic University-Peking, 1941,
p. 14b: "alDasi perte; diminutionde biens, de profits.Cf. alDa-." Cf. also, op. cit.,p. 14a,
forthe adjective "alDasi't'ta ayant une perte I alDasi't'ta maima'commercedans lequel on
perd."
Althoughtheformalda-ysihas notbeen encounteredas such in any Mongolian source,
it is possible thatit is the formof the word on which the Chinese transcriptionsof the
termwere based in the thirteenthand fourteenthcenturies.As examples of the term
abound in Chinese sources of the period, I shall confinemyselfto but a fewwhich are
typicalof all others.
In the entryby P'eng Ta-ya * under the rubric"Ch'i shang fa" tMl
["Their Rewards and Punishments"],in theHei-Ta shih-liiehMl -eg4 [Sketchof the
AffairsoftheBlack Ta (Ta [tar])] in theHai-ning Wang Ching-anhsien-sheng i-shu fig
3it@9;993 editionwe read (15v):
"When theycapturea city,then theypermitthemto plunderwomenand goods (lit.,
'permittheir[= soldiers'] plunderingwomenand jade and silk'). Priorityin plundering
depends upon the differenceof theirmerit(lit., I [As to] the beforeor afterof plunder-
ing, theyregardthe equalityor inequalityof theirmerit'). If those who are beforestick
arrowson the gate [ofthe city],thenthosewho are afterdo not dare to enter.If therebe
[any who commitsan act of] transgression,then theykill him. This is knownas (lit.,
'they call it') an-ta-hsiVT (alda [y ]si)."
In the Ta-rYianma-chengchi*j7r RE [Recordof theHorseAdministration of the
Great Yiian] in the Kuang-ts'ang hsiieh-ch'iints'ung-shufi 3;{R MI TM ,9
.-'~, thereis a text (33r7-33vl) which reads as follows:

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 THE SINO-MONGOLIAN INSCRIPTION OF 1240 71

"Imperial Directiveof the 24th day of the 6th moon ofjen-ch'en1J,~ the 4th year
[13 July 1232] ofT'ai-tsung Huang-ti Fr (Ogedei Ogdei Qa1yan): .
"[As for]troughsforwateringhorses ( 1,;*) ..., the households-1,627 house-
holds in all-according to verification, presentlyunder thejurisdiction of the said lu
(i.e., Hsi-ching lu -PK) shall provide one troughper household, fivech'ih , in
length,one ch'ih,fourts'un s in width, the common Mongolian type (st I ).
[Those in chargeof] each place shall furnishdraughtoxen (I) to convey [them]to
the wo-lu-to"W (ordo) fordeliverynot later than the loth day of the 7th moon
[29 July1232]. No delay shall be permitted(lit., "It shall not be permittedto delay").
Any disobedience shall be adjudged an an-ta-hsit (alda [-y]si)offense(lit., "If
theydisobey, theyshall be adjudged an-ta-hsi(alda [-y]si)offenders").'
In the "CChan-ch'ih"~ t;ti~ ("Jam'ci") in the Yung-lo ta-tien7*tM C there are
several examples of the term.Cf., e.g., 19,416:
(1) [7r2-5] "A Rescriptof the 15th day of the 11th moon of chi-ch'ou E, the 1St
year [2 December 1229] of T'ai-tsung Huang-ti (Ogedei Ogodei Qa-yan):
'The sundry ox stationsand horse chan 5j (am) ("stations") are enjoined [as
follows].'
"The gistis as follows:
" 'If thereare those who demand (ktE) relay station horses, upon verification, if
theydo nothavep'ai-mien )14!i and written authorization ( t), therelaystation
officialswho firstfurnished[them]horses shall be sentenced to servitude(s) fortwo
yearsand shall be given70 blows of the rod (;t). The originallycommissionedofficials
shall be adjudged an-ta-hsi&J % (alda [y]si) offenders(W) .... One Po-humf)Ei
("ccenturion")shall be speciallyordered to use draughtoxen to send [the rice] to per-
sons who sojourn (f{lW)[there]while trading.They shall not ride relaystationhorses.
Violators shall be adjudged an-ta-hsi(alda[-y]si) offenders.... 2'"
(2) [7r8-7v4]"This moon [i8 November-17December 1229] .... The Emperorpro-
mulgated the followingitems:
"'One: Messengerswho come and go withoutusing the relayroutesshall be adjudged
an-ta-hsi ; (alda [-y]si)offenders( Those who come and go withoutb'ai-
tzu4 but withwrittenauthorizationshall also be adjudged an-ta-hsi(alda [-y]si) of-
fenders.... Thus those who come to complain by memorial,the officialsshall also be
adjudged an-ta-hsi(alda[-y]si) offenders.Those who are commissionedand dispatched
by theCourt to go on a missionand have p'ai-tzuand writtenauthorization,if [thereare]
persons who do not listen to [them],they shall also be adjudged an-ta-hsi(alda[-y]si)
offenders.Moreover,theyshall be put to death.
"One: Messengersand othersshall be furnisheddaily one chin Jf of meat,one sheng
2 offlour,and one b'ing ) ofwine per day per person .... They shall not request ad-
ditionalamounts.Moreover,theyshall not demand and take [any] forcibly.If [therebe]
violators,theyshall be adjudged an-ta-hsi(alda [-y ]si) offenders....'."
(3) [7v4-6] "Rescript of the 25th day of the 5th moon ofjen-ch'en,the 4th year [15
June 12321:
" 'The officialsas well as chan-ch'ih(amci) personneland othersof the severallu are
[hereby]instructed:
" 'If a messengerdoes not have a p'ai-tzu and writtenauthorization,the relay station
officialwho firstfurnished[him]horses shall be sentencedto servitudefortwoyears and

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72 FRANCIS WOODMAN CLEAVES
given 70 blows of the rod. The originallycommissionedofficialshall be adjudged an
an-ta-hsi(alda [-y]si)offender....'"
(4) [7v8-8r3]"Rescript of the5th day of the2nd moon of kuei-ssuX e the 5th year
[17 March 1233 ]:
" 'If thereis the furnishingof 1 shengof rice per day per person, if thereare persons
who as beforedemand wine, meat, rice, and flourin a disorderlymanner,theyshall all
be adjudged an-ta-hsi(alda ['y]si) offenders.......
(5) [8r5-7] "Rescript of the 17th day of the 6th moon [25 July 1233]:
" '. . . Moreover,[in the case of] the places throughwhich theypass, then those who
furnishrelayanimals (O Il) shall not procrastinate.If,because of othermatters,they
demand animals, theyshall be adjudged an-ta-hsi(alda [-y]si)offenders.'"
(6) [8r8-8v5] "Directive receivedon the 21St day [29 July 1233]:
"' A messengerfromthe headquartersof the armyof K'uo-ch'u T'ai-tzu i; *
(K8cu T'ai-tzu) has come [toinformus that] the relaystationsalong the routehave been
interrupted....
" 'The above-mentionedchan (Jam) ("station") horses are to be branded witha dis-
tinctivebrand. Only the messengersfromthe headquartersof the army of K'uo-ch'u
T'ai-tzu (K8uI T'ai-tzu) shall be allowed to ride [them].Others shall not be furnished
[such horses]. If thereare othermessengerswho wish to ride them,those who furnish
[them]and those who receive themshall all be adjudged an-ta-hsi(alda [-y]si)death of-
fenders. [For] each station there shall be appointed a careful,capable officialto take
chargeof [its] business and to care for [thehorses] adequately. [The horses] shall not be
reduced by death. In case of death, immediately,the numbershall be made up. If [any
of] theabove-mentionedofficialsdie, the officialspresent(R, l) under the name of the
respectiveperson shall attendto (*_E) thebusiness. If therebe [any] delay, theyshall
all be adjudged an-ta-hsi(alda [-y]si) offenders.Messengers who come fromthe head-
quartersof the army,if theyencounterany tradingHui-hui m l and otherwhosoever
(lit., "not selectingit is what do tradingHui-hui and others"), may seize theirhorses to
ridebetweenrelaystations.Those who do not give [themto them]shall also be adjudged
an-ta-hsi(alda[-y]si) offenders.'"
Under the rubric"Chin tsai lieh hsing-fajih" 21*ik J 1 ["Days on which it
is Forbidden to Slaughter,Hunt, and AdministerPunishment"] in the Yuan tienchang
tA* 57(ts'e 21) .27r2-5 thereis a RescriptofM8ngkeQa-yanwhich reads as follows:
"Rescript ( ) promulgatedby Meng-koHuang-ti X}fQJjt (M6ngge
M6ngke Qa-yan):
"' Beginningwiththisting-ssuTE year [1257] (lit., "This ting-ssuyearmakingthe
head"), on the ist day, the 8th day, the 15th day, and the 23rd day-these fourdays-
of each moon (VAJ ), whatsoeverit be (lit., "not selectingit is what"), so long as it is
alive (lit., "only [if]it is thatwhich has life"), persons who secretlykill [it], if theyare
not adjudged an-ta-hsi ; (alda[,y]si), what is that? (lit., "that (-j) [is] what

" 'RescriptofUs. [We] have written[it] in theTien-chih-erh % p (?Delj ir) field

(FIit) on the lith day of the 7th moon in the snake year (22 August 1257).'"
For the Ancient Chinese pronunciationof the characterA (hsi), cf. B. Karlgren,
AnalyticDictionaryof Chineseand Sino-Japanese,1923, no. 126: ,yiei.For the Ancient

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 THE SINO-MONGOLIAN INSCRIPTION OF 1240 73

Mandarinpronunciationof the same charactercf.A. Dragunov, "The hPhags-pa Script

and Ancient Mandarin," I43BecTHSI AKaAemnH HayK CCCP (Bulletin de l'Academie des
Sciencesde l'URSS), OTAeJIeHme FyMaHHTapHbIX HayK (Classe des Humanites), 1930, pp.
627-647; 775-797 (p. 784), no. 163: xi.
As observedby the ReverendAntoine Mostaertin a letterdated 12 December 1961,
the use of the character g (hsi) in these transcriptionsis difficultto explain:
"Le problemeest: Commentle caractere , qui a cette epoque se pronoungaitxi,
peut-il servira rendrela syllabemongole si? Autrementdit commentle mot 94T
peut-il correspondrea un mot mongol alda-ysiou aldasi? Je ne puis pas resoudre ce
probl6me.
"Autre probleme. Si le caractereI peut transcriresi dans le mot alda-ysi aldasi,
pourquoi rend-illa syllabeki dans le nom 3 lireBoralki (Inscr. de 1335, 1.,38)?"
6 The usual formulain such documentsis Bicig manu, "Writ of Us." Cf., e.g., Mo-
staertet Cleaves,op.cit.,p. 433, 1. 13; p. 451, 1. 32; and p. 470, XI.11-12. Furthermore,
theformulain question,standingin an absolute relationship,is regularlyfollowedby the
date in full,by the words bukiii-diir,"at the momentwhen [we] were," withan indica-
tion of the locality,and finallyby the verbbicibei" [we] have written[it]," the " [it]" re-
ferringto its antecedent,"Writ of Us." It is evidentfromthe use of the words ene bicig
alone that the documentis incomplete.
7 Nicholas Poppe, "Remarks on the Vocalism of the Second Syllable in Mongolian,"

Harvard Journalof AsiaticStudies,Volume 14, June, 1951, Numbers 1 and 2, pp. 189-
207, observed (p. 197) with referenceto the assimilationof the vowel *a of the second
syllableby the vowel *u of the firstsyllable: "As an examplewe may takeMo. qulu-yana
emouse,'whichis etymologicallyconnectedwithqula 'brown' (withthe suffix--yanaas in
alta-yana,name ofa plant, or qara-yana,also a plant, derivedfromaltan 'gold' and qara
'black' respectively),and consequentlyis a developmentof an older form*qulayana."
The presentinscriptionis the only textin which the older formqula yana has been en-
countered.
As the date of such documentsis usually givenin full,i.e., day, moon, and season, in
additionto theyear(cf.,e.g.,Mostaert et Cleaves,op. cit.,p. 433, 11. 14-15; p. 451; 11.
32-33; and p. 470, 11. 12-13), it is also evidentfromtheuse ofthewordsqula-yanail
alone that the documentis incomplete.

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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~. 'I

- {~~~~~~~~~~~~~~1

PLATEI
The
Sn-Moglia Isiio of14

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 (6)~
--2E ~ @ l sQEa

< 7E1-TtM ~ ~ ~ 3
gt

__~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
._ . , ,~ . {4 ks.4
,w..A

nJ I l tt } 3 o t t j' > - 2 ; R ^ { *t t { A,

.s>ft-".-tt!"
q rfXwc?f-s;

; tlrt
u II r 8 E? 1 5>t 7.E B ,R2X1
tk " W{gW B' R , A E k ?t
p~~~Li,nt,##

PLATE II
Ts'ai's Transcription and Annotation
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