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Punctuation Marks and Copyists: Rereading the Yili (The Book of Etiquette and Ceremony) of the Wuwei Han Bamboo and Wooden Slips

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TL;DR

This study examines Han dynasty manuscripts of the Book of Etiquette and Ceremony, revealing three types of punctuation marks used by copyists to interpret and organize the text, indicating a complex transmission process and allowing for flexible classical interpretations.

Abstract
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Abstract The nine-chapter Book of Etiquette and Ceremony (Yili 儀禮) manuscripts found in the Han-dynasty Tomb 6 of the Mozuizi 磨咀子 Cemetery, Wuwei 武威 County contain three kinds of punctuations marks – dividers (fen’ge fu 分隔符), hooks (goushi fu 勾識符), and the signaling markers placed at the upper edges of the slips (jiantou tishi fu 簡頭提示符). These punctuation marks reveal that the text has undergone a complicated copying and transmission process. Copyists used dividers and hooks to separate the text into different layers to demonstrate their interpretations, thus making punctuation marks a medium that embodied their understanding. In addition, various ways of placing punctuation marks make it possible for classical interpretations to have great fluidity.

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