The “Shang(Sovereign)” in the Khitan Small Script

The word appears frequently in Khitan Small Script epitaphs, and its pronunciationis known to be un or uːn, but its meaning has not yet been determined. Based on the parallel sentences in Khitan and Chinese seen in Epitaph of Xiao Chala Xianggong and the phenomenon that it is often carried over to a new line with spacing, this paper infers that its meaning is “sovereign”. By examining the antithetical sentences in Khitan small script documents and specific contexts, it is argued that its original meaning is “high”. Then, by combining relevant words from the kinship languages of Khitan, it is inferred that the etymology of this Khitan small script is the Mongolian word (ondur, “high”).