A Brief Introduction to the Hexi Yiyu (河西譯語): Unidentified-Language Glosses in a National Library of China Manuscript

The National Library of China holds a unique Qing manuscript of theYiyu (81 folios), copied by Yuan Shoujie at his Zhenjietang. Folios 64–68, bearing the heading “Hexi” are conventionally called the Hexi Yiyu. Discovered in 1981, this sole surviving copy has attracted scholarly attention, yet the language it records remains unidentified. Despite its modest size and the lack of rigorous transcription rules comparable to the Type A Huayi Yiyu, the glossary retains research value. This paper briefly outlines the Huayi Yiyu typology, examines the bibliographical features and research history of the Hexi Yiyu, and provides English translations and IPA transcriptions of its lexical items to facilitate future studies.