Social Sciences in China, 2025

Vol. 46, No. 1, 2025

Khitan Script Research: A Century of Discovery and AI-Driven Innovation

(Abstract)

Kang Peng

Through the unrelenting endeavors of numerous generations of scholars spanning over a century, the study of Khitan script has attained remarkable academic advancements. Particularly, the usage of Chinese loanwords as pivotal linguistic indicators has enabled the successful interpretation of a multitude of Khitan texts, both in large and small scripts, thereby revealing the profound historical and cultural significance encapsulated within these writings. Nonetheless, the field has reached a methodological impasse, hindering further substantial breakthroughs. With the swift progression of artificial intelligence, there is now a promising prospect that Khitan script research can leverage these state-of-the-art technologies, in conjunction with interdisciplinary cooperation, to achieve significant strides. This may, in turn, provides an innovative research paradigm for major breakthroughs in ancient history, language, and culture.

Keywords: Khitan script, Chinese loanwords, decipherment methods, artificial intelligence