Xiao'erjing
A Chinese-Arabic-Xiaoerjing dictionary from the early days of the People's Republic of China
Traditional Chinese小兒經
Simplified Chinese小儿经
Xiao'erjingثِیَوْعَرݣ‌ٍْ[1]
Literal meaningchildren's script
Xiaojing
Traditional Chinese小經
Simplified Chinese小经
Literal meaningminor script
Xiaojing
Traditional Chinese消經
Simplified Chinese消经
Xiao'erjingثِیَوْݣ‌ٍْ[1]
Literal meaningrevised script
A book on law in Arabic, with a parallel Chinese translation in the Xiao'erjing script, published in Tashkent in 1899. The page on the left side shows the book information in Arabic. The page on the right has mixed lines of Arabic (marked by a continuous black line on top) and their Chinese translation in Xiao'erjing script, that follow the Arabic original on the same line.
Pages from a Book titled "Questions and Answers on the Faith in Islam", Published in Xining, which includes a Xiao'erjing-Hanji transliteration chart, as well a paragraph which includes Arabic Loanwords

Xiao'erjing (lit. 'children's script'), often shortened to Xiaojing (lit. 'minor script', the 'original script'[lower-alpha 1] being the Perso-Arabic script), is the practice of writing Sinitic languages such as Mandarin (especially the Lanyin, Zhongyuan and Northeastern dialects) or Dungan in the Perso-Arabic script.[2][3][4][5] It is used on occasion by many ethnic minorities who adhere to the Islamic faith in China (mostly the Hui, but also the Dongxiang and the Salar) and formerly by their Dungan descendants in Central Asia. Orthography reforms introduced the Latin script and later the Cyrillic script to the Dungan language, which continue to be used today.

Xiao'erjing is written from right to left, like other writing systems using the Perso-Arabic script. The Xiao'erjing writing system is unusual among Arabic script-based writing systems in that all vowels, long and short, are explicitly marked at all times with Arabic diacritics; this means that Xiao'erjing is technically an abugida, in contrast to the abjad classification of most Perso-Arabic script varieties. This is also in contrast to some other Arabic-based writing systems in China, such as the Uyghur Ereb Yéziqi, which uses full letters and not diacritics to mark short vowels.

Nomenclature

Xiao'erjing does not have a single, standard name. In Shanxi, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Eastern Shaanxi and also Beijing, Tianjin and the Northeastern provinces, the script is referred to as Xiǎo'érjīng, which when shortened becomes Xiǎojīng or Xiāojīng (the latter Xiāo has the meaning of "to review" in the aforementioned regions). In Ningxia, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, Western Shaanxi and the Northwestern provinces, the script is referred to as Xiǎo'érjǐn. The Dongxiang people refer to it as the "Dongxiang script" or the "Huihui script"; The Salar refer to it as the "Salar script"; The Dungan of Central Asia used a variation of Xiao'erjing called the "Hui script", before being made to abandon the Arabic script for Latin and Cyrillic. According to A. Kalimov, a famous Dungan linguist, the Dungan of the former Soviet Union called this script щёҗин (şjoⱬin, 消經).

Origins

Since the arrival of Islam during the Tang Dynasty (beginning in the mid-7th century), many Arabic and Persian speaking people migrated into China. Centuries later, these peoples assimilated with the native Han Chinese, forming the Hui ethnicity of today. Many Chinese Muslim students attended madrasas to study Classical Arabic and the Qur'an. Because these students had a very basic understanding of Chinese characters but would have a better command of the spoken tongue once assimilated, they started using the Arabic script for Chinese. This was often done by writing notes in Chinese to aid in the memorization of surahs. This method was also used to write Chinese translations of Arabic vocabulary learned in the madrasas. Thus, a system of writing the Chinese language with Arabic script gradually developed and standardized to some extent. Currently, the oldest known artifact showing signs of Xiao'erjing is a stone stele in the courtyard of Daxue Xixiang Mosque in Xi'an in the province of Shaanxi. The stele shows inscribed Qur'anic verses in Arabic as well as a short note of the names of the inscribers in Xiao'erjing. The stele was done in the year AH 740 in the Islamic calendar (between July 9, 1339, and June 26, 1340). Some old Xiao'erjing manuscripts (along with other rare texts including those from Dunhuang) are preserved in the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Usage

Xiao'erjing can be divided into two sets, the "Mosque system" and the "Daily system". The "Mosque system" is the system used by pupils and imams in mosques and madrasahs. It contains much Arabic and Persian religious lexicon, and no usage of Chinese characters. This system is relatively standardised, and could be considered a true writing system. The "Daily system" is the system used by the less educated for letters and correspondences on a personal level. Often simple Chinese characters are mixed in with the Arabic script, mostly discussing non-religious matters, and therewith relatively little Arabic and Persian loans. This practice can differ drastically from person to person. The system would be devised by the writer himself, with one's own understanding of the Arabic and Persian alphabets, mapped accordingly to one's own dialectal pronunciation. Often, only the letter's sender and the letter's receiver can understand completely what is written, while being very difficult for others to read. Unlike Hui Muslims in other areas of China, Muslims of the northwest provinces of Shaanxi and Gansu had no knowledge of the Han Kitab or Classical Chinese, they used Xiao'erjing.[6] Xiao'erjing was used to annotate foreign language Islamic documents (in languages like Persian) using the Chinese language.[7]

Xiao'erjing was used mostly by Muslims who could not read Chinese characters. It was imperfect due to various factors. The differing Chinese dialects would require multiple different depictions with Xiao'erjing. Xiao'erjing cannot display the tones present in Chinese, syllable endings are indistinguishable, i.e. xi'an and xian.[8] Xiao'erjing was much simpler than Chinese characters for representing Chinese.[9]

Modern usage

In recent years, the usage of Xiao'erjing is nearing extinction due to the growing economy of the People's Republic of China and the improvement of the education of Chinese characters in rural areas of China. Chinese characters along with Hanyu Pinyin have since replaced Xiao'erjing. Since the mid-1980s, there has been much scholarly work done within and outside China concerning Xiao'erjing. On-location research has been conducted and the users of Xiao'erjing have been interviewed. Written and printed materials of Xiao'erjing were also collected by researchers, the ones at Nanjing University being the most comprehensive. Kazuhiko Machida  is leading a project in Japan concerning Xiao'erjing.[10] Books are printed in Xiao'erjing.[11] In Arabic language Qur'ans, Xiao'erjing annotations are used to help women read.[12] Xiao'erjing is used to explain certain terms when used as annotations.[13] Xiao'erjing is also used to write Chinese language Qurans.[14][15]

A Dachang Hui Imam, Ma Zhenwu, wrote a Qur'an translation into Chinese including Chinese characters and Xiao'erjing.[16]

Alphabet

Xiao'erjing has 31 letters, 4 of which are used to represent vowel sounds. The 31 letters consists of 28 letters borrowed from Arabic, 4 letters borrowed from Persian along with 2 modified letters and 1 extra letters unique to Xiao'erjing.

Initials and consonants

Below table demonstrates the list of consonants, and cases in which two consonants represent the same initial, in the Bopomofo order.[1]

ب
B b		 پ
P p		 م
M m		 ف
F f		 د
D d		 ت / ط
T t		 ن
N n		 ل
L l
ق
G g		 ک
K k		 ح / خ
H h		 ݣ‌ (د)1
J j		 ک (ٿ)2
Q q		 ث
X x		 ج
Zh zh		 چ
Ch ch
ش
Sh sh		 ژ / ر
R r		 ز / ظ
Z z		 ڞ
C c		 س / ص
S s		 ی
Y y		 و
W w		 ء / ا / ع
Glottal

Note:

  1. د is more commonly used instead of ݣ‌ in Linxia manuscripts to better closely match the local dialect's pronunciation.
  2. ٿ is more commonly used instead of ک in Linxia manuscripts to better closely match the local dialect's pronunciation.

Below is the list of initials and consonants used in Xiao'erjing.

Symbol Final–Medial–Initial Standard Mandarin
pronunciation		 Bopomofo Hanyu Pinyin Arabic
pronunciation		 Persian
pronunciation		 Example Notes
1 (ا) (ـا) /a/ [ɑ], [a] ㄚ a, a-, -a, -a- [ʔ], [æː~aː], [ɑː] [ʔ], [ɔ], [æ] اَ‎(阿 ā) vowel sound
2 (ب) (ببب) /p/ [p], [b]- ㄅ b- [b] [b] بَا‎(爸 bà)
3 (پ) (پپپ) /pʰ/ [pʰ]- ㄆ p- none [p] پُوَ‎(婆 pó) borrowed from Persian
4 (ت) (تتت) /tʰ/ [tʰ]- ㄊ t- [t] [t] تَا‎(塔 tǎ) used before syllable with all Hanyu Pinyin finals except for -ong, -uan, -ui, -un, -uo
5 (ث) (ثثث) [tɕʰ]-, [ɕ]- ㄑ、ㄒ x- [θ] [s] ثِیَ‎(些 xiē) Historically, manuscripts have also used س and ش
6 (ج) (ججج) /ʈ͡ʂ/ [ʈ͡ʂ], [ɖ͡ʐ] ㄓ zh- [dʒ]|[ɡ] [dʒ] جَ‎(这/這 zhè) sound change occurs when representing Chinese
7 (چ) (چچچ) /ʈ͡ʂʰ/ [ʈ͡ʂʰ] ㄔ ch- none [tʃ] چَ‎(车/車 chē) borrowed from Persian
8 (ح) (ححح) /x/ [x]- ㄏ h- [ħ] [h] حَ‎(河 hé) used before syllable with the Hanyu Pinyin finals -e, -ei, -en, -eng
9 (خ) (خخخ) /x/ [x]- ㄏ h- [x] [x] خُ‎(湖 hú) Used before syllable with all Hanyu Pinyin finals except for -e, -ei, -en, -eng.
10 (د) (د) /t/ [t], [d]-; [tɕ]- ㄉ d- [d] [d] دٍ‎(钉/釘 dīng) Used by some manuscripts to represent a few syllables with the Hanyu Pinyin initial j-. More commonly "ݣ" was used.
11 (ر) (ر) /ɻ/ [ɻ], [ʐ]- ㄖ r- [r] [ɾ] رٍ‎(仍 réng) Used before syllables with the Hanyu Pinyin finals -eng, -un, -uo.
/ɻ/ -[ɻ] ㄦ -r عَر‎(二 èr) represents the rhotic final -r sound
12 (ز) (ز) /ʦ/ [t͡s], [d͡z]- ㄗ z- [z] [z] زَیْ‎(在 zài) Used before syllable with all Hanyu Pinyin finals except for -ong, -ui, -un, -uo.
"ذ" is used by some manuscripts instead.
13 (ژ) (ژ) /ɻ/ [ɻ], [ʐ]- ㄖ r- none [ʒ] ژَ‎(热/熱 rè) Used before syllable with all Hanyu Pinyin finals except for -eng, -un, -uo..
14 (س) (سسس) /s/ [s]-, [ɕ]- ㄙ s- [s] [s] سْ‌ِ‎(四 sì) Used before syllable with all Hanyu Pinyin finals except for -ua, -ui, -un, -uo.
Historically, manuscripts have also used this letter for Hanyu Pinyin initial x-.
15 (ش) (ششش) /ʂ/ [ʂ]-, [ɕ]- ㄕ sh- [ʃ] [ʃ] شِ‎(是 shì) >Historically, manuscripts have also used this letter for Hanyu Pinyin initial x-.
16 (ص) (صصص) /s/ [s]- ㄙ s- [sˤ]|[sˠ] [s] صُوِ‎(岁/歲 suì) Used before syllables with the Hanyu Pinyin finals -ua, -ui, -un, -uo.
17 (ڞ) (ڞڞڞ) /ʦʰ/ [t͡sʰ]- ㄘ c- none none ڞَ‎(册/冊 cè)
18 (ط) (ططط) /t/ [t], [d]-; [tɕ]- ㄉ t- [tˤ]|[tˠ] [t] طٌ‎(吞 tūn) used before syllables with the Hanyu Pinyin finals -ong, -uan, -ui, -un, -uo
19 (ظ) (ظظظ) /ʦ/ [t͡s], [d͡z]- ㄗ z- [ðˤ]|[ðˠ] [z] ظُوَ‎(作 zuò) Sound change occurs when representing Chinese. Used before syllable with the Hanyu Pinyin finals -ong, -ui, -un, -uo.
20 (ع) (ععع) /ə/ ㄜ, ㄦ, ㄛ, ㄡ e, er, o, ou [ʕ] [ʔ] عَ‎(恶/惡 è) a vowel when representing Chinese, but considered a consonant when representing Arabic and Persian loans
21 (ف) (ففف) /f/ [f]- ㄈ f- [f] [f] فِ‎(废/廢 fèi)
22 (ق) (ققق) /k/ [k], [ɡ]- ㄍ g- [q] [ɣ~ɢ], [q] قْ‎(个/個 ge) sound change occurs when representing Chinese
23 (ک) (ککک) /kʰ/ [kʰ]- ㄎ k- none [k] کْ‎(可 kě)
[tɕʰ]- ㄑ q- کِیٌ‎(穷/窮 qióng) Historically, in Linxia manuscripts, ٿ is more commonly used to represent Hanyu Pinyin initial q-, to more closely match the local dialect's pronunciation.[1]
24 (ݣ) (ݣݣݣ) [tɕ]- ㄐ j- none none ڭِیُوَ‎(脚/腳 jiǎo) Used in most manuscripts to represent "j-". Some manuscripts drop the three dots and simply use "ک".[1]
25 (ل) (للل) /l/ [l]- ㄌ l- [l] [l] لِ‎(里 lǐ)
26 (م) (ممم) /m/ [m]- ㄇ m- [m] [m] مِ‎(秘 mì)
27 (ن) (ننن) /n/ [n]- ㄋ n- [n] [n] نِ‎(你 nǐ)
28 (و) (و) /u/ [u], [ʊ] ㄨ wu, wa, wai, wang, wan, wei, wen, weng, wo, u-, -u, -u- [w], [uː] [v], [u], [o], [ow] وُ‎(无/無 wú) vowel sound
29 (ی) (ییی) /i/ [i], [ɪ] ㄧ yi, i-, -i, -i- [j], [iː], [æː~ɑː] [j], [i], [e] یَا‎(呀 ya) borrowed from Persian and a vowel sound. (See Perso-Arabic ye)
30 (ء) (ء) [i], [ɪ], [ɥ] ㄩ yi, yin, yun [ʔ] [ʔ] ءٌ‎(孕 yùn)

Additional consonants

The consonants in this list are either lesser used alternatives used in regional varieties of Xiao'erjing, or they are common Arabic or Persian letters that are exclusively used for writing loan words in Xiao'erjing texts.

Symbol Final–Medial–Initial Standard Mandarin
pronunciation		 Bopomofo Hanyu Pinyin Arabic
pronunciation		 Persian
pronunciation		 Example Notes
1 (ٿ) (ٿٿٿ) [tɕʰ]- ㄑ q- none none ٿِیٌ‎(穷/窮 qióng) Unique Xiao'erjing letter. Historically, in Linxia manuscripts, this letter instead of ک was used to represent Hanyu Pinyin initial q-, to more closely match the local dialect's pronunciation.[1]
2 /ʦ/ [t͡s], [d͡z]- ㄗ z- [ð] [z] ذَیْ‎(在 zài) Some manuscripts use this letter instead of ز.
3 none none [dˤ] [z] الْضَّاد‎(letter ḍād) only used with Arabic loans
4 none none [ɣ]|[ʁ] [ɣ~ɢ] غَبْن‎(criminal fraud) only used with Arabic loans
5 none ㄍ none none [ɡ] گنج‎(treasure) borrowed from Persian and only used with Persian loans
6 /x/ [x]- ㄏ h- [h] [h], [ɛ], [æ] الهواء ‎(Air) only used with Persian and Arabic loans

Finals and vowels

Below is the list of final and vowel endings in each syllable representing each Hanzi in Xiao'erjing.[1][17]

Script Standard Chinese
pronunciation		 Bopomofo Hanyu Pinyin Example Notes
1 [ɑ] ㄚ a اَ‎(阿 ā)
2 -[ɑ] ㄚ -a دَا‎(大 dà)
3 [aɪ] ㄞ ai اَیْ‎(爱/愛 ài)
4 -[aɪ] ㄞ -ai كَیْ‎(凯/凱 kǎi)
5 [an] ㄢ an اً‎(安 ān)
6 -[an] ㄢ -an دًا‎(但 dàn)
7 [ɑŋ] ㄤ ang اَنْ‎(昂 áng)
8 -[ɑŋ] ㄤ -ang قَانْ‎(刚/剛 gāng)
9 [aʊ] ㄠ ao اَوْ‎(奥/奧 ào)
10 -[aʊ] ㄠ -ao قَوْ‎(高 gāo)
11 [ə]|[ɤ] ㄜ e عَ‎(恶/惡 è)
12 -[ə]|[ɤ] ㄜ -e دْ‎(德 dé)
 For Hanyu Pinyin initials d-, g-, k, t-
ڞَ‎(册/冊 cè) For other Hanyu Pinyin initials
13 none [eɪ] ㄟ ei none rare, no representation in Xiao'erjing
14 -[eɪ] ㄟ -ei مُوِ‎（玫 méi） For Hanyu Pinyin initials b-, l-, m-, n-, p-
فِ‎（飞/飛 fēi） For other Hanyu Pinyin initials
Arabic diacritic ﹾ is added to letters that don't connect to the following letter, so that the confusion of reading two characters as one syllable can be avoided.
دِْ‎(得 děi)
15 [ən] ㄣ en عٍ‎(恩 ēn)
16 -[ən] ㄣ -en مٌ‎(们/們 mén) For Hanyu Pinyin initials b-, f-, m-, n-, p-
قٍ‎(根 gēn) For other Hanyu Pinyin initials
17 none [əŋ] ㄥ eng none rare, no representation in Xiao'erjing
18 -[ɤŋ] ㄥ -eng رٍ‎(仍 réng) Only for Hanyu Pinyin initial r-
قْ‌ٍ‎(更 gèng) For all other Hanyu Pinyin initials
19 [ɑɻ] ㄦ er عَر‎(儿/兒 er)
20 -[ɻ] ㄦ -r لِر‎(粒儿/粒兒 lìr) represents the rhotic final -r sound
21 [i] ㄧ yi ءِ‎(意 yì)
22 -[i] / -[ɯ] / -[ɨ] ㄧ -i سْ‌ِ‎(四 sì) Only for Hanyu Pinyin initial s-
کِ‎(其 qí) For all other Hanyu Pinyin initials
23 [iɑ] ㄧㄚ ya یَا‎(呀 ya)
24 -[iɑ] ㄧㄚ -ia ݣِیَا‎(家 jiā) limited to syllables with the Hanyu Pinyin initials d-, j-, q-, x-, l-
25 [iɛn] ㄧㄢ yan یًا‎(严/嚴 yán)
26 -[iɛn] ㄧㄢ -ian لِیًا‎(练/練 liàn)
27 [iɑŋ] ㄧㄤ yang یَانْ‎(羊 yáng)
28 -[iɑŋ] ㄧㄤ -iang لِیَانْ‎(良 liáng)
29 [iaʊ] ㄧㄠ yao یَوْ‎(要 yào)
30 -[iaʊ] ㄧㄠ -iao ݣِیَوْ‎(教 jiào)
31 [iɛ] ㄧㄝ ye یِ‎(耶 yē)
32 -[iɛ] ㄧㄝ -ie ݣِیَ‎(解 jiě)
33 [in] ㄧㄣ yin ءٍ‎(因 yīn)
34 -[in] ㄧㄣ -in کٍ‎(勤 qín)
35 [iŋ] ㄧㄥ ying یْ‌ٍ‎(应/應 yīng)
36 -[iŋ] ㄧㄥ -ing تٍ‎(圢 tǐng) After syllables with the Hanyu Pinyin initials d-, t-
ݣْ‌ٍ‎(汫 jǐng) After syllables with the Hanyu Pinyin initials j-, q-, x-
پِیٍٔ‎(平 píng) After syllables with the Hanyu Pinyin initials b-, p-, m-, n-, l-
37 [yʊŋ] ㄩㄥ yong یٌ‎(用 yòng)
38 or -[yʊŋ] ㄩㄥ -iong کِیٌ‎(穷/窮 ióng) limited to syllables with the Hanyu Pinyin initials j-, q-, x-
39 [iəʊ]|[iɤʊ] ㄧㄡ you یِوْ‎(有 yǒu)
40 -[iəʊ]|[iɤʊ] ㄧㄡ -iu نِیُوْ‎(牛 niú)
41 [o] ㄛ o عِو‎(哦 ó)
42 -[ʊŋ] ㄨㄥ -ong سٌ‎(讼/訟 sòng) Only for Hanyu Pinyin initial s-, r-
خْو‎(宏 hóng) For all other Hanyu Pinyin initials
43 [əʊ]|[ɤʊ] ㄡ ou عِوْ‎(偶 ǒu)
44 -[əʊ]|[ɤʊ] ㄡ -ou كِوْ‎(口 kǒu)
45 [u] ㄨ wu وُ‎(无/無 wú)
46 -[u] ㄨ -u کُ‎(苦 kǔ) Arabic letter و is added to letters that don't connect to the following letter, so that the confusion of reading two characters as one syllable can be avoided.
زُو‎(足 zú)
47 [uɑ] ㄨㄚ wa وَا‎(娃 wá)
48 -[uɑ] ㄨㄚ -ua قُوَا‎(刮 guā)
49 [uaɪ] ㄨㄞ wai وَیْ‎(歪 wāi)
50 -[uaɪ] ㄨㄞ -uai كُوَیْ‎(块/塊 kuài)
51 [uan]|[wan] ㄨㄢ wan وًا‎(万/萬 wàn)
52 -[uan] ㄨㄢ -uan كُوًا‎(宽/寬 kuān)
53 [uɑŋ]|[wɑŋ] ㄨㄤ wang وَانْ‎(忘 wàng)
54 -[uɑŋ] ㄨㄤ -uang کُوَانْ‎(况/況 kuàng)
55 [ueɪ] ㄨㄟ wei وِ‎(为/為 wèi)
56 -[ueɪ] ㄨㄟ -ui خُوِ‎(回 huí)
57 [uən]|[wən] ㄨㄣ wen وٌ‎(问/問 wèn)
58 -[uən] ㄨㄣ -un کٌ‎(困 kùn)
59 [uɤŋ]|[wɤŋ] ㄨㄥ weng وٍْ‎(翁 wēng)
60 [uə] ㄨㄛ wo وَ‎(我 wǒ)
61 -[uə] ㄨㄛ -uo قُوَ‎(国/國 guó)
-o بُوَ‎(拨/撥 bō) Hanyu Pinyin initials b-, p-, m-, f-
62 [y] ㄩ yu یُوِ‎(与/與 yǔ)
63 -[y] ㄩ -ü, -u نِیُوِ‎(女 nǚ) limited to syllables with the Hanyu Pinyin initials j-, q-, x-, l-, n-
64 [yɛn] ㄩㄢ yuan یُوًا‎(源 yuán)
65 -[yɛn] ㄩㄢ -uan ݣِیُوًا‎(捐 juān) limited to syllables with the Hanyu Pinyin initials j-, q-, x-
66 [yɛ] ㄩㄝ yue یُوَ‎(约/約 yuē)
67 -[yɛ] ㄩㄝ -üe, -ue ݣِیُوَ‎(决/決 jué) limited to syllables with the Hanyu Pinyin initials j-, q-, x-, l-, n-
68 [yn] ㄩㄣ yun ءٌ‎(孕 yùn)
69 -[yn] ㄩㄣ -un کٌ‎(均 jūn) limited to syllables with the Hanyu Pinyin initials j-, q-, x-
  • Vowels in Arabic and Persian loans follow their respective orthographies, namely, only the long vowels are represented and the short vowels are omitted. Although the sukun () can be omitted when representing Arabic and Persian loans, it cannot be omitted when representing Chinese. The exception being that of oft-used monosyllabic words which can have the sukun omitted from writing. For example, when emphasised, "的" and "和" are written as (دِ‎) and (حـَ‎); when unemphasised, they can be written with the sukuns as (دْ‎) and (حـْ‎), or without the sukuns as (د‎) and (حـ‎).
  • Similarly, the sukun can also sometimes represent the Chinese -[ŋ] final, as such (ـنْ / نْ‎). This is sometimes replaced by the fatḥatan (), the kasratan (), or the dammatan () in manuscripts.

In polysyllabic words, the final 'alif (ـا‎) that represents the long vowel -ā can be omitted and replaced by a fatḥah (Fatḥah) representing the short vowel -ă.

  • Xiao'erjing is similar to Hanyu Pinyin in the respect that words are written as one, while a space is inserted between words. A U+200C ZERO WIDTH NON-JOINER (‌) shall be used for separation between different syllables within the same word. Unlike Persian or Arabic, syllables (each representing one Hanji character) are not continuously connected.
  • When representing Chinese words, the shaddah sign represents a doubling of the entire syllable on which it rests. It has the same function as the Chinese iteration mark "々".
  • Arabic punctuation marks can be used with Xiao'erjing as can Chinese punctuation marks, they can also be mixed (Chinese pauses and periods with Arabic commas and quotation marks).

Correspondence chart between Pinyin and Xiao'erjing

Correspondence chart between Pinyin and Xiao'erjing
Organized alphabetically
A
a — اَ‎ai — اَیْ‎an — اً‎ang — اَنْ‎
ao — اَوْ‎
B
ba — بَا‎bai — بَیْ‎ban — بًا‎bang — بَانْ‎
bao — بَوْ‎bei — بُوِ‎ben — بٌ‎beng — بٍْ‎
bi — بِ‎bian — بِیًا‎biao — بِیَوْ‎bie — بِیَ‎
bin — بٍ‎bing — بِیٍٔ‎bo — بُوَ‎bu — بُ‎
C
ca — ڞَا‎cai — ڞَیْ‎can — ڞًا‎cang — ڞَانْ‎
cao — ڞَوْ‎ce — ڞَ‎cen — ڞٍ‎ceng — ڞْ‌ٍ‎
ci — ڞِ‎cong — ڞْو‎cou — ڞِوْ‎cu — ڞُ‎
cuan — ڞُوًا‎cui — ڞُوِ‎cun — ڞٌ‎cuo — ڞُوَ‎
CH
cha — چَا‎chai — چَیْ‎chan — چًا‎chang — چَانْ‎
chao —چَوْ‎che — چَ‎chen — چٍ‎cheng — چٍْ‎
chi — چِ‎chong — چْو‎chou — چِوْ‎chu — چُ‎
chuai — چُوَیْ‎chuan — چُوًا‎chuang — چُوَانْ‎chui — چُوِ‎
chun — چٌ‎chuo — چُوَ‎
D
da — دَا‎dai — دَیْ‎dan — دًا‎dang — دَانْ‎
dao — دَوْ‎de — دْ‎dei — دِْ‎deng — دٍْ‎
di — دِ‎dia — دِیَا‎dian — دِیًا‎diao — دِیَوْ‎
die — دِیَ‎ding — دٍ‎diu — دِیُوْ‎dong — دْو‎
dou — دِوْ‎du — دُو‎duan — دُوًا‎dui — دُوِ‎
dun — دٌ‎duo — دُوَ‎
E
e — عَ‎er — عَر‎
F
fa — فَا‎fan — فًا‎fang — فَانْ‎fei — فِ‎
fen — فٌ‎feng — فٍْ‎fo — فُوَ‎fou — فِوْ‎
fu — فُ‎
G
ga — قَا‎gai — قَیْ‎gan — قًا‎gang — قَانْ‎
gao — قَوْ‎ge — قْ‎gei — قِ‎gen — قٍ‎
geng — قٍْ‎gong — قْو‎gou — قِوْ‎gu — قُ‎
gua — قُوَا‎guai — قُوَیْ‎guan — قُوًا‎guang — قُوَانْ‎
gui — قُوِ‎gun — قٌ‎guo — قُوَ‎
H
ha — خَا‎hai — خَیْ‎han — خًا‎hang — خَانْ‎
hao — خَوْ‎he — حَ‎hei — حِ‎hen — حٍ‎
heng — حٍْ‎hong — خْو‎hou — خِوْ‎hu — خُ‎
hua — خُوَا‎huai — خُوَیْ ‎huan — خُوًا‎huang — خُوَانْ‎
hui — خُوِ‎hun — خٌ‎huo — خُوَ‎
J
ji — ݣِ‎jia — ݣِیَا‎jian — ݣِیًا‎jiang — ݣِیَانْ‎
jiao — ݣِیَوْ‎jie — ݣِیَ‎jin — ݣٍ‎jing — ݣٍْ‎
jiong — ݣِیٌ‎jiu — ݣِیُوْ‎ju — ݣِیُوِ‎juan — ݣِیُوًا‎
jue — ݣِیُوَ‎jun — ݣٌ‎
K
ka — کَا‎kai — کَیْ‎kan — کًا‎kang — کَانْ‎
kao — کَوْ‎ke — کْ‎ken — کٍ‎keng — کٍْ‎
kong — کْو‎kou — کِوْ‎ku — کُ‎kua — کُوَا‎
kuai — کُوَیْ‎kuan — کُوًا‎kuang — کُوَانْ‎kui — کُوِ‎
kun — کٌ‎kuo — کُوَ‎
L
la — لَا‎lai — لَیْ‎lan — لًا‎lang — لَانْ‎
lao — لَوْ‎le — لَ‎lei — لُوِ‎leng — لٍْ‎
li — لِ‎lia — لِیَا‎lian — لِیًا‎liang — لِیَانْ‎
liao — لِیَوْ‎lie — لِیَ‎lin — لٍ‎ling — لِیٍٔ‎
liu — لِیُوْ‎long — لْو‎lou — لِوْ‎lu — لُ‎
lü — لِیُوِ‎luan — لُوًا‎lüe — لِیُوَ‎lun — لٌ‎
luo — لُوَ‎
M
ma — مَا‎mai — مَیْ‎man — مًا‎
mang — مَانْ‎mao — مَوْ‎me — مَ‎mei — مُوِ‎
men — مٌ‎meng — مٍْ‎mi — مِ‎mian — مِیًا‎
miao — مِیَوْ‎mie — مِیَ‎min — مٍ‎ming — مِیٍٔ‎
miu — مِیُوْ‎mo — مُوَ‎mou — مِوْ‎mu — مُ‎
N
na — نَا‎nai — نَیْ‎nan — نًا‎
nang — نَانْ‎nao — نَوْ‎ne — نَ‎nei — نُوِ‎
nen — نٌ‎neng — نٍْ‎ni — نِ‎
nian — نِیًا‎niang — نِیَانْ‎niao — نِیَوْ‎nie — نِیَ‎
nin — نٍ‎ning — نِیٍٔ‎niu — نِیُوْ‎nong — نْو‎
nu — نُ‎nü — نِیُوِ‎nuan — نُوًا‎nüe — نِیُوَ‎
nuo — نُوَ‎
O
o — عِو‎ou — عِوْ‎
P
pa — پَا‎pai — پَیْ‎pan — پًا‎pang — پَانْ‎
pao — پَوْ‎pei — پُوِ‎pen — پٌ‎peng — پٍْ‎
pi — پِ‎pian — پِیًا‎piao — پِیَوْ‎pie — پِیَ‎
pin — پٍ‎ping — پِیٍٔ‎po — پُوَ‎pou — پِوْ‎
pu — پُ‎
Q
qi — ٿِ‎qia — ٿِیَا‎qian — ٿِیًا‎qiang — ٿِیَانْ‎
qiao — ٿِیَوْ‎qie — ٿِیَ‎qin — ٿٍ‎qing — ٿٍْ‎
qiong — ٿِیٌ‎qiu — ٿِیُوْ‎qu — ٿِیُوِ‎quan — ٿِیُوًا‎
que — ٿِیُوَ‎qun — ٿٌ‎
R
ran — ژًا‎rang — ژَانْ‎rao — ژَوْ‎re — ژَ‎
ren — ژٍ‎reng — رٍ‎ri — ژِ‎rong — ژٌ‎
rou — ژِوْ‎ru — ژُو‎ruan — ژُوًا‎rui — ژُوِ‎
run — رٌ‎ruo — رُوَ‎
S
sa — سَا‎sai — سَیْ‎san — سًا‎sang — سَانْ‎
sao — سَوْ‎se — سَ‎sen — سٍ‎seng — سٍْ‎
si — سِْ‎song — سٌ‎sou — سِوْ‎su — سُ‎
suan — صُوًا‎sui — صُوِ‎sun — صٌ‎suo — صُوَ‎
SH
sha — شَا‎shai — شَیْ‎shan — شًا‎shang — شَانْ‎
shao — شَوْ‎she — شَ‎shei — شُوِ‎shen — شٍ‎
sheng — شٍْ‎shi — شِ‎shou — شِوْ‎shu — شُ‎
shua — شُوَا‎shuai — شُوَیْ‎shuan — شُوًا‎shuang — شُوَانْ‎
shui — شُوِ‎shun — شٌ‎shuo — شُوَ‎
T
ta — تَا‎tai — تَیْ‎tan — تًا‎tang — تَانْ‎
tao — تَوْ‎te — تْ‎teng — تٍْ‎
ti — تِ‎tian — تِیًا‎tiao — تِیَوْ‎tie — تِیَ‎
ting — تٍ‎tong — طْو‎tou — تِوْ‎tu — تُ‎
tuan — طُوًا‎tui — طُوِ‎tun — طٌ‎tuo — طُوَ‎
W
wa — وَا‎wai — وَیْ‎wan — وًا‎wang — وَانْ‎
wei — وِ‎wen — وٌ‎weng — وٍْ‎wo — وَ‎
wu — وُ‎
X
xi — ثِ‎xia — ثِیَا‎xian — ثِیًا‎xiang — ثِیَانْ‎
xiao — ثِیَوْ‎xie — ثِیَ‎xin — ثٍ‎xing — ثٍْ‎
xiong — ثِیٌ‎xiu — ثِیُوْ‎xu — ثِیُوِ‎xuan — ثِیُوًا‎
xue — ثِیُوَ‎xun — ثٌ‎
Y
ya — یَا‎yan — یًا‎yang — یَانْ‎yao — یَوْ‎
ye — یَ‎yi — ءِ‎yin — ءٍ‎ying — یٍ‎
yong — یٌ‎you — یُوْ ‎yu — یُوِ‎yuan — یُوًا‎
yue — یُوَ‎yun — ءٌ‎
Z
za — زَا‎zai — زَیْ‎zan — زًا‎zang — زَانْ‎
zao — زَوْ‎ze — زَ‎zei — زِْ‎zen — زٍ‎
zeng — زٍْ‎zi — زِ‎zong — ظْو‎zou — زِوْ‎
zu — زُو‎zuan — زُوًا‎zui — ظُوِ‎zun — ظٌ‎
zuo — ظُوَ‎
ZH
zha — جَا‎zhai — جَیْ‎zhan — جًا‎zhang — جَانْ‎
zhao — جَوْ‎zhe — جَ‎zhei — جُوِ‎zhen — جٍ‎
zheng — جٍْ‎zhi — جِ‎zhong — جْو‎zhou — جِوْ‎
zhu — جُ‎zhua — جُوَا‎zhuai — جُوَیْ‎zhuan — جُوًا‎
zhuang — جُوَانْ‎zhui — جُوِ‎zhun — جٌ‎zhuo — جُوَ‎

Example

Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Xiao'erjing, simplified and traditional Chinese characters, Hanyu Pinyin and English:

Xiao'erjing
«ژٍّ شْ‌ٍ عَر زِیُوْ، زَیْ ظٌ‌یًا حَ‌ کِیُوًالِ شَانْ‌ ءِلِیُوِ پِیٍٔ‌دٍْ. تَامٌ فُ‌یُوْ لِ‌ثٍْ حَ لِیَانْ‌ثٍ، بِیٍٔ یٍ ءِ ثِیٌ‌دِ قُوًاثِ دْ ݣ‌ٍْشٍ خُ‌ثِیَانْ دُوِدَیْ.»‎
Simplified Chinese
「人人生而自由，在尊严和权利上一律平等。他们赋有理性和良心，并应以兄弟关系的精神互相对待。」
Traditional Chinese

「人人生而自由，在尊嚴和權利上一律平等。他們賦有理性和良心，並應兄弟關係的精神互相對待。」

Correspondense between Chinese characters and Xiao'erjing
「人(ژٍ‎)人(ژٍ‎)生(شْ‌ٍ‎)而(عَر‎)自(زِ‎)由(یُوْ‎)，在(زَیْ‎)尊(ظٌ‌‎)严(یًا‎)和(حَ‌‎)权(کِیُوًا‎)利(لِ‎)上(شَانْ‌‎)一(ءِ‎)律(لِیُوِ‎)平(پِیٍٔ‌‎)等(دٍْ‎)。他(تَا‎)们(مٌ‎)赋(فُ‌‎)有(یُوْ‎)理(لِ‌‎)性(ثٍْ‎)和(حَ‌‎)良(لِیَانْ‌‎)心(ثٍ‎)，并(بِیٍٔ‎)应(یٍ‎)以(ءِ‎)兄(ثِیٌ‌‎)弟(دِ‎)关(قُوًا‎)系(ثِ‎)的(دْ‎)精(ݣ‌ٍْ‎)神(شٍ‎)互(خُ‌‎)相(ثِیَانْ‎)对(دُوِ‎)待(دَیْ‎)。」
Pinyin
"Rénrén shēng ér zìyóu, zài zūnyán hé quánlì shàng yílǜ píngděng. Tāmen fùyǒu lǐxìng hé liángxīn, bìng yīng yǐ xiōngdi guānxì de jīngshén hùxiāng duìdài."
English
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act toward one another in a spirit of brotherhood."

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ simplified Chinese: 本经; traditional Chinese: 本經; pinyin: Běnjīng, Xiao'erjing: بٌ‌ݣْ‌ٍ, Dungan: Бынҗин, Вьnⱬin

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Sobieroj, Florian. (2019) "Standardisation in Manuscripts written in Sino-Arabic Scripts and xiaojing". Creating Standards: Interactions with Arabic script in 12 manuscript cultures, edited by Dmitry Bondarev, Alessandro Gori and Lameen Souag, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, pp. 177–216. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110639063-008
  2. ↑ Michael Dillon (1999). China's Muslim Hui community: migration, settlement and sects. Richmond: Curzon Press. p. 155. ISBN 0-7007-1026-4. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
  3. ↑ Howard Yuen Fung Choy (2008). Remapping the past: fictions of history in Deng's China, 1979–1997. Brill. p. 92. ISBN 978-90-04-16704-9. Retrieved 2010-11-30.
  4. ↑ Daftar-i Muṭālaʻāt-i Siyāsī va Bayn al-Milalī (Iran) (2000). The Iranian journal of international affairs, Volume 12. Institute for Political and International Studies. p. 52. Retrieved 2010-11-30.
  5. ↑ Centre for the Study of Religion and Communism (2003). Religion in communist lands, Volume 31. Centre for the Study of Religion and Communism. p. 13. Retrieved 2010-11-30.
  6. ↑ Tōkyō Daigaku. Tōyō Bunka Kenkyūjo (2006). International journal of Asian studies, Volumes 3–5. Cambridge University Press. p. 141. Retrieved 2010-11-30.
  7. ↑ Geoffrey Roper (1994). World survey of Islamic manuscripts. 4. (Supplement ; including indexes of languages, names and titles of collections of volumes I-IV), Volumes 1–4. Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation. p. 96. ISBN 1-873992-11-4. Retrieved 2010-11-30.
  8. ↑ Jonathan Neaman Lipman (2004). Familiar strangers: a history of Muslims in Northwest China. Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. 51. ISBN 0-295-97644-6. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
  9. ↑ Geoffrey Roper (1994). World survey of Islamic manuscripts. 4. (Supplement ; including indexes of languages, names and titles of collections of volumes I-IV), Volumes 1–4. Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation. p. 71. ISBN 1-873992-11-4. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
  10. ↑ Stéphane A. Dudoignon (2008). Central Eurasian Reader: a biennial journal of critical bibliography and epistemology of Central Eurasian Studies, Volume 1. Schwarz. p. 12. ISBN 978-3-87997-347-7. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
  11. ↑ Centre for the Study of Religion and Communism (2003). Religion in communist lands, Volume 31. Centre for the Study of Religion and Communism. p. 14. Retrieved 2010-11-30.
  12. ↑ Suad Joseph, Afsaneh Najmabadi (2003). Encyclopedia of women & Islamic cultures, Volume 1. Brill. p. 126. ISBN 90-04-13247-3. Retrieved 2010-11-30.
  13. ↑ Daftar-i Muṭālaʻāt-i Siyāsī va Bayn al-Milalī (Iran) (2000). The Iranian journal of international affairs, Volume 12. Institute for Political and International Studies. p. 42. Retrieved 2010-11-30.
  14. ↑ Archives de sciences sociales des religions, Volume 46, Issues 113–116. Centre national de la recherche scientifique. 2001. p. 25. Retrieved 2010-11-30.
  15. ↑ Kees Versteegh; Mushira Eid (2005). Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics: A-Ed. Brill. pp. 381–. ISBN 978-90-04-14473-6.
  16. ↑ Garnaut, Anthony (March 2006). "The Islamic Heritage in China: A General Survey". China Heritage Newsletter (5).
  17. ↑ Suutarinen, M. (2015). Arabic Script among China’s Muslims: A Dongxiang folk story. Studia Orientalia Electronica, 113, 197–208. Retrieved from https://journal.fi/store/article/view/51814

Sources

  • A. Forke. Ein islamisches Tractat aus Turkistan // T’oung pao. Vol. VIII. 1907.
  • O.I. Zavyalova. Sino-Islamic language contacts along the Great Silk Road: Chinese texts written in Arabic Script // Chinese Studies (《漢學研究》). Taipei: 1999. No. 1.
  • Xiaojing Qur'an (《小經古蘭》), Dongxiang County, Lingxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu, PRC, 1987.
  • Huijiao Bizun (Xiaojing) (《回教必遵（小經）》), Islam Book Publishers, Xi'an, Shaanxi, PRC, 1993, 154 pp., photocopied edition.
  • Muhammad Musa Abdulihakim. Islamic faith Q&A (《伊斯兰信仰问答》) (2nd ed.). Beiguan Street Mosque, Xining, Qinghai, PRC, appendix contains a Xiao'erjing–Pinyin–Arabic comparison chart.
  • Feng Zenglie. Beginning Dissertation on Xiao'erjing: Introducing a phonetic writing system of the Arabic script adopted for Chinese in The Arab World (《阿拉伯世界》) Issue #1. 1982.
  • Chen Yuanlong. The Xiaojing writing system of the Dongxiang ethnicity in China's Dongxiang ethnicity (《中国东乡族》). People's Publishing House of Gansu. 1999.

Further reading

Look up Xiao'erjing in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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