Glossary

Chinese terms are followed by Chinese characters.

Nuosu terms appear in boldface type, and words from other languages are indicated as such.

abofather’s sister; mother’s brother’s wife

Abua mistaken ethnonym for Nasu in Puwei

adafather

amomother

assafemale cross-cousin of a man

Ba (Tib.)self-designation of Khams-pa Tibetans in Muli

bagavillage or hamlet

Baithe name of a minzu

Bailang geshi“Song of Bailang”

Baimaan ethnic group in northwestern Sichuan that claims to be separate from the Zang

baipi shu“white-cover books,” first editions of the ethnological reports of the 1950s

baixingthe commoner retainers of a nuoho lord

banclass of students that studies all subjects together

baziflat alluvial plain

bazonglocal official subordinate to the Muli king

bimoNuosu priest

bingtuansoldier corps, the Xingjiang military construction corps

bla-ma (Tib.)incarnate lama

buhao shuadoesn’t play happily

buluotribe

buzutribal ethnic group

can doustring beans

Can tu si; feng niang mi; “Silkworms extrude silk; bees ferment honey”

chengbaoto lease or contract out an economic asset

chiong (Prmi)Tibetan-style barley beer

ci fangyansubdialect

cobia Nuosu funerary ritual

cunvillage or administrative village

cunxiaovillage elementary school

cyviNuosu clan

dachunlate or summer agricultural season

da Han minzu zhuyi “great Han chauvinism”

Daia minzu, most of whose members call themselves Tai

dazia pejorative term for Mongols

DedaiDai of Dehong

ddobaq (Naxi)priest of the local tradition, same as dongba

deel (Mong)Mongolian-style riding robe

dianshi jitelevision set

diaozhu“hanging” vertical posts

difang zhilocal histories or local gazetteers

diquordinary prefecture

divaddusmall paddle for applying lacquer

djaba (Naze and Prmi)monk; Buddhist priest

dongbaNaxi priest of the local tradition (same as dobbaq)

dongba wenscript used by dobbaq or dongba

duilianparallel couplet posted on a doorway or altar

fangyandialect

fang zhilocal histories; local gazetteers

fanziforeigners; barbarians

fuvice- or associate- office

funzoddupivot-point on a lathe-frame

fuzhuang“costume,” referring to ethnic dress

Gami (Prmi)Khams-pa Tibetans

gaitu guiliu“replacing the local and restoring the posted,” a reform movement to replace tusi with centrally appointed bureaucrats

gaoshan Yizumountain Yi

gaxyhousehold slave

Gelug-pa (Tib.)the “orthodox” sect of Tibetan Buddhism

gemomaster artisan

gongzuoto work for wages

grwa-pa (Tib.)monk

guahao jianshe “grasp construction”

guifan Yiwen“regularized Yi writing,” the new standard Nuosu script based on the traditional script

Hãchu tongxio(Liangshan dialect) Han classmates

hangue (Prmi)priest of the local tradition

Hanzu wenhuaHan culture

hao kehospitable

hexin diquthe “nuclear area” of Liangshan

Hou Han shuHistory of the Later HanDynasty

huagaowild cherry wood

huajiaoSichuan peppercorns

huang jiuTibetan-style barley beer

Huayang guo zhiRecords of Foreign Countries

hui shuohua de gongju “tools that could talk” (slaves)

Huizuthe Hui, or Chinese Muslim, minzu

huofo“living Buddha,” a Chinese term for a Tibetan incarnate lama

huo huashiliving fossil

HxiemgaHan

HxiemgamoHan woman

ichylong-handled wooden spoon

Jitusi surname from Puwei, Miyi

jinunit of weight equal to .5 kg.

jieshy valapleated felt cape and woven fringed cape; distinctive Nuosu clothing

jurenholder of the second, or provincial examination degree under the Qing

KurshyNuosu New Year celebration

kuzzursoup tureen

lamaChinese term for a Tibetan monk, or grwa-pa (not necessarily an incarnate lama)

lao baixingcommon people

laoshi hao“We wish you well, teacher”

Laoshih zaijian “Goodbye, teacher”

liplums; also the surname Li

Lisuthe name of a minzu

liti shehui“vertical society” where altitude correlates with ethnicity and social organization

liuzu fenzhi“the breakup of the six ancestors,” the origin of the different Yi peoples

long de chuan rendescendants of the dragon

luroad; trail

luohoubackward

Luoluo or Lolo an old, somewhat pejorative term for Yi and related peoples

mamamama (surprise!)

Man shuBook of Barbarians

manzibarbarians

Manzuthe Manchu minzu

maoniuyak

meiyou shangpin jingji guannianlacking in a commodity-economy mind-set

meng“league,” a Mongolian administrative district equivalent to a prefecture

Menggu renMongols

Mengzuor Mengguzuthe Mongolian minzu

mgajiea lower, dependent stratum of Nuosu society

mgavabuckwheat pancakes

mgehniwild cherry wood

Miaothe name of a minzu that includes Hmong and their relatives

Miao Man tu ce“Miao albums”; picture albums of southwestern peripheral peoples

minbancommunity supported (of a teacher)

Mingaishort form of Minzhu Gaige

minweinationalities commission

Minzhu Gaige“Democratic Reform,” revolutionary social transformations in minority areas in the 1950s

minzuethnic group or “nationality”

minzu banspecial class for minority students

Minzu DaxueNationalities University in Beijing

minzu gongzuo“nationalities work,” bureaucratic activities concerned with minorities

minzu jianshiconcise histories of minzu

minzu shiethnohistory

minzu shibieethnic (“nationalities”) identification or classification

minzu tuanjieunity among minzu

minzuxueethnology; the study of minzu

minzu xueyuan“nationalities institute,” a college for members of minority minzu

minzu zhongxue minorities middle school

mishuzhangchief-of-staff of a bureaucratic office

monyimother’s sister; father’s brother’s wife

Mosuoa Han-language name for the western Naze

mua unit of land comprising about 1/6 acre or 1/15 hectare

muluolog-cabin building style

Narione way to write “Naze” in Chinese

Naxithe name of a minzu

ndaba (Naze)priest of the local tradition

ndeggumediator

Nia classical name for Yi peoples, found in several Yi languages

nüer guo“kingdom of women”

nulislave

nuosee nuoho

nuohothe aristocratic caste among the Nuosu, called hei Yiin Chinese

Nuosu bburmaNuosu writing

Nuosu ddomaNuosu spoken language

NuosumoNuosu woman

Nuosu muddiNuosu area; Liangshan

nzymothe highest stratum of the Nuosu caste system; the stratum that produced tusi

onyimother’s brother; father’s sister’s husband

onyissea woman’s mother’s brother’s son

pavufather’s brother; mother’s sister’s husband

pian qu“slice district,” an area including several townships within a county

pingba Yizulowland Yi

pinkunpoor, impoverished

pinyinromanization system

pochan dizhubankrupt landlord

Pumia minzu including the Prmi of Yunnan

puzi(Liangshan dialect) village; hamlet

qiangjiu luohourescue the backward

Qiang yuzhiQiang branch of the Tibeto-Burman language family

qiaobuqibe arrogant toward or have contempt for

qiematiny lacquer brush

quformer administrative unit comprising several townships

quhothe commoner caste of Nuosu, called bai Yiin Chinese

qunuothe top stratum of the quho

ren“people,” a designation for an ethnic group within an officially recognized minzu

Rendashort for Renmin Daibiao Dahui

Renmin Daibiao Dahui People’s Congress, the legislature

Renmin ZhengfuPeople’s Government, the administrative bureaucracy

Renmin Zhengzhi Xietiao Weiyuanhui People’s Consultative Conference, a kind of forum for approving policies, which also compiles local history materials

shaoshu minzuminorities or minority minzu

sheng“raw,” referring to relatively unacculturated peoples

Shehui lishi diaocha baogao Reports of Social and Historical Investigations

shicity or municipality as an administrative unit

Shi jiRecords of the Historian by Sima Qian, written in the 2nd and 1st centuries B.C.E.

shi zhaizistone-walled village

shu“cooked,” referring to semi-acculturated peoples

shuangwen banbilingual class

shuangyu jiaoyubilingual education

shuiwater; name of a minzu in Guizhou

Shuiniu shuiniu guo; huangniu huangniu guo “Water buffaloes get it on with water buffaloes; oxen get it on with oxen”

Shuitiana self-appellation of certain lowland peoples whose language belongs to the Yi family

shuohmarhododendron

shushufather’s younger brother

siheyuanfour-sided courtyard house

sishuprivate school teaching the traditional Confucian curriculum

ssakuobrave person; war leader

ssemalacquer brush

sugawealthy person in Nuosu society

sunyishaman

tai Han huatoo Hanified

tongban tongxueschoolmates of the same class

tongyi duominzu guojiaunified country of diverse nationalities (or ethnic groups)

tubaihuvery low-ranking local ruler

Tudi Yethe local “earth god” deity

tumulow-ranking local ruler

tuotuo rou“chunk-chunk meat,” a Han name for the Nuosu style of eating meat

tuqianhulow-ranking local ruler

tusilocal native ruler

tuyulocal language variety

valawoven, fringed woolen cape

voshepork

wenwriting; literary; literized

wen shi ziliao“literary and historical materials,” compiled by each county’s zhengxie

xiangrural township

xiangcun qiyetownship and village enterprises

xiang shijie xuanchuan Yizu wenhua propagandizing Yi culture to the world

xiaochunearly or spring agricultural season

Xichua local term for Prmi, used east of Lugu Lake

XidaiDai of Xishuangbanna (Sipsong Panna)

Xifan“Western Barbarians,” an old name for Qiangic speakers

“Xinan yi liezhuan”“Record of the Southwestern Barbarians,” from Records of the Historian (Shi li) by Sima Qian

xiongdi minzubrother nationalities or fraternal ethnic groups

xiucaiholder of the lowest examination degree under the Qing dynasty, also called shengyuan

yamenoffice of the imperial government, applied also to the office of a tusi

Yan Huang zisunchildren and grandchildren of the emperors Yan (Shen Nong) and Huang (the Yellow Emperor)

yatoufemale household slave in Han society

Yithe name of a minzu

“Yi bao”“Yi bros.,” a folksy, somewhat condescending Han-language name for Nuosu

yifuclothes

Yiwen banclass taught in the Nuosu language

Yiwen xuexiaoYi-language school

Yizu chuantong zhishifenzi traditional Yi intellectuals

Yizu Hanzu shi liang “Yi and Han are two separate families”

Yizu xiangdesignated Yi township

yuangenmild, flat turnip

yuoshemutton

yuweilanguage committee of a local government

yuwen(Chinese) language, referring to a class in school

Zangyu“Tibetan” language; also refers to other languages spoken by Zangzu

Zangzuthe Tibetan minzu

Zangzu zizhi xianZang autonomous county

zhentownship

Zhengxieshort for Renmin Zhengzhi Xietiao Weiyuanhui

zhixi“branch” of a minzu

Zhoguocopeople of China (translation of Zhongguo ren)

Zhongguo renChinese people; people of China

Zhonghua minzuthe Chinese nation

zhongzhuanvocational high school

zizhi quautonomous region, equivalent to a province

zizhi xianautonomous county

zizhi zhouautonomous prefecture

-zuminzu (suffix form)

zzoadze

zzowolathe rotor