Pelliot tibétain 1055
A systematic divination manual from the sealed library cave at Dunhuang (Cave 17, Mogao Grottoes), written in Old Tibetan on a scroll now held by the Bibliothèque nationale de France. The text instructs a diviner in the use of coins — likely Chinese copper cash with square center-holes, the standard currency of the Silk Road — to answer questions about every domain of daily life: household fortune, illness, marriage, enemies, travelers, lost property, house-building, moving, spirit afflictions, companions, petitions to authority, and undertakings of all kinds.
The method is simple: twelve coins are cast, and the number showing face-up determines the sign. Each sign is associated with an element or figure — Water, Gold, Earth, Iron, Earth-and-Water, Confucius, Fire-and-Earth, and the Ghost King — and each sign carries a complete set of prognostications ranging from "extremely auspicious" to "extremely inauspicious." The pattern alternates: Water is good, Gold is terrible, Earth is good, Iron is terrible. The mixed signs (Earth-and-Water, Fire-and-Earth) give nuanced readings where some life-categories are favorable and others are not.
The most remarkable feature of the text is its cultural syncretism. "Kong tse" — 孔子, Confucius — appears as one of the eight divinatory signs, alongside purely Tibetan concepts like the bla (the soul-force that can be wounded), gdon (afflicting spirits), the'u rang (trickster spirits), and rgyal byin (Indra). The "ki wang" — possibly 鬼王, the Ghost King of Chinese Buddhist cosmology — governs the worst omen. This is Silk Road religion at the ground level: not theology but practice, not doctrine but a manual for the anxious and uncertain, mixing Chinese and Tibetan cosmologies without apology.
The manuscript is incomplete at both ends. The opening sections (zero through three coins face-up) are lost. The text breaks off mid-sentence in the Eleven Coins section. What survives — eight complete sections from Four Coins through Ten Coins, plus fragments of two more — is the most detailed Tibetan coin divination text yet identified in the Dunhuang corpus.
Pelliot tibétain 1055. 94 lines. Transcription from the Old Tibetan Documents Online (OTDO), Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA), Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. This is the first English translation.
Fragment — The Previous Casting
[opening lost]
...the undertaking will not succeed.
If cast for enemy-divination, enemies will not prevail.
If moving, it is bad.
If cast for a traveler, there is no danger, but they will not come for a while.
This is the foundational divination.
The Sign of Water — Four Coins
When four coins are cast and the rest fall face-down, the sign of Water appears.
The body has no spirits.
If cast for household fortune and life fortune, it is good.
Though there is worry in the heart, no harm will come.
All undertakings will succeed.
If seeking a spouse, children will follow.
If building a house, the hearth will be warm.
If cast for a sick person, there is the sign of recovery.
If cast for spirit-divination, there are hostile spirits and fierce conflict.
If seeking an undertaking, it will succeed.
If cast for enemy-divination, there are no enemies.
If something is lost, there is the sign of finding it.
If moving, it is good.
If cast for a sick person, there is the sign of recovery.
If cast for a traveler, they will go swiftly.
Whatever this divination is cast for, it is extremely auspicious.
The Sign of Gold — Five Coins
When five coins are cast and the rest fall face-down, the sign of Gold appears.
If cast for household fortune and life fortune, there is a great spirit afflicting the wealth and possessions. No undertakings will succeed.
If cast for life fortune, there is the sign of death.
If cast for a sick person, unless they are moved swiftly to another place, there is the sign of death.
If petitions and rites are performed, they will not be granted — there is the sign of defeat.
If seeking a spouse, the household will perish.
If cast for enemy-divination, there is the sign of meeting enemies.
If cast regarding an oath, it will not be resolved for a while.
If cast for prosperity fortune, there is the sign of no prosperity.
If cast for a traveler, danger has arisen — they will not come for a while.
If cast for lost things, they will not be found.
Whatever this divination is cast for, it is extremely inauspicious.
The Sign of Earth — Six Coins
When six coins are cast and the rest fall face-down, the sign of Earth appears.
If cast for household fortune and life fortune, it is very good.
If petitions and rites are performed, they will be granted — there is the sign of mastery and victory.
If seeking a spouse, they will be well-matched, and children will follow.
If building a house, there is the sign of power, wealth, and strength.
If seeking an undertaking, it will succeed.
If cast for a sick person, they will recover.
If something is lost, there is the sign of finding it.
If moving, it is good.
If cast for a traveler, they will go swiftly.
Whatever this divination is cast for, it is extremely auspicious.
The Sign of Iron — Seven Coins
When seven coins are cast and the rest fall face-down, the sign of Iron appears.
If cast for life fortune and household fortune, it is bad.
If cast regarding whether the soul-force is wounded or unwounded, there is the sign of wounding.
If cast for a sick person and rituals are not performed, there is the sign of death.
If cast about going on a long journey or not, they will go, and there is the sign of danger arising.
If cast for enemy-divination, there is the sign of meeting enemies.
If petitions are made, they will not be granted.
If cast for spirit-divination, there is the sign of quarreling and great conflict.
If cast for companion fortune, there are no companions.
If cast for a traveler, they will not come for a while.
Whatever this divination is cast for, it is extremely inauspicious.
The Sign of Earth and Water — Eight Coins
When eight coins are cast and the rest fall face-down, the sign of Earth and Water appears.
If cast for the body's life fortune, it is very good.
If cast for household fortune and prosperity fortune, though there is worry in the heart, no harm will come — it is good.
If cast for enemy-divination, enemies will not prevail.
If seeking an audience or requesting service, it will not be granted.
If seeking an undertaking, it will not succeed.
If seeking a spouse, there will be abundance.
If cast for a sick person, they will recover quickly.
If something is lost, it will not be found for a while — there is the sign that someone else has taken it.
If moving, no harm will come.
If building a house, no spirits will arise.
If cast for a traveler, there is no danger, but they will not come for a while.
If cast for companion fortune, companions will be slow in coming.
If cast for spirit-divination, there is a household deity and a spirit-presence.
If cast about going somewhere or not, do not go.
This is the foundational divination.
The Sign of Confucius — Nine Coins
When nine coins are cast and the rest fall face-down, the sign of Confucius appears.
If cast for household fortune and prosperity fortune, it is like the moon on the first day — it grows ever greater, and it is extremely good.
If cast for a sick person, there is the sign of recovery.
If cast about whether someone will come or not, there is no danger, and there is the sign of their coming swiftly.
If cast for companion fortune, there is the sign of gaining a great companion.
If petitions and rites are performed, mastery and victory will follow — there is the sign of joy in the heart.
If cast for prosperity fortune, it is good.
If cast for a sick person, there is the sign of swift recovery.
If cast for life fortune, it is good.
If cast for a traveler who has set out on the road, there is the sign of protection by the master.
Whatever this divination is cast for, it is extremely auspicious.
The Sign of Fire and Earth — Ten Coins
When ten coins are cast and the rest fall face-down, the sign of Fire and Earth appears.
The body has no illness.
If cast for life fortune, it is good.
If seeking an undertaking, it will be accomplished.
If seeking an audience or requesting service, it will be granted.
If building a house or seeking a spouse, it is auspicious.
If cast for a sick person, they will recover without needing medicine.
If cast regarding an oath, it will be resolved quickly.
If something is lost, it will be hard to find.
If moving, no danger will arise.
If cast for a traveler, they will not come for a while.
This is the foundational divination.
The Sign of the Ghost King — Eleven Coins
When eleven coins are cast and the rest fall face-down, the sign of the Ghost King appears.
If cast regarding whether the soul-force is wounded or unwounded, there is the sign of wounding.
If cast for household fortune and life fortune, a deep-seated spirit has entered — no undertaking will succeed.
If cast for spirit-divination, there is the sign of great Indra-spirits and trickster-demons.
If cast for a sick person, there is the sign of death.
If rites are performed, there is the sign of defeat.
If cast about whether someone will come or not, they will not come.
If cast for companion fortune —
[text breaks off]
Colophon
Translated from Old Tibetan by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026. This is the first freely available English translation of Pelliot tibétain 1055.
The text is a coin divination manual from the Dunhuang cave library (Cave 17, Mogao Grottoes, Gansu). The manuscript is held by the Bibliothèque nationale de France. The Old Tibetan transliteration was obtained from the Old Tibetan Documents Online (OTDO), Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA), Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.
The coins used in the divination are called dong tse in Old Tibetan — likely a borrowing from Chinese 铜子 (tóngzǐ, "copper [coins]") or a native compound meaning "small holed objects," referring to the square-holed copper cash that circulated along the Silk Road. The method appears to involve casting twelve coins and counting how many land face-up. Each count from four through eleven corresponds to a divinatory sign associated with an element or figure. The opening sections (zero through three coins) are lost from the manuscript, and the text breaks off mid-sentence in the eleven-coin section.
The most striking feature of the text is its cultural syncretism. The nine-coin sign is identified as "kong tse" — 孔子, Confucius — a Chinese cultural figure embedded in a Tibetan divination system. The eleven-coin sign is called "ki wang," possibly 鬼王 (guǐwáng), the Ghost King of Chinese Buddhist cosmology. These sit alongside purely Tibetan and Indic concepts: the bla (soul-force), gdon (afflicting spirits), the'u rang (trickster spirits of Tibetan folklore), and rgyal byin (Indra). The divination manual itself is a Silk Road artifact — the material culture of an era when Tibetan, Chinese, and Indian religious systems mixed freely at Dunhuang.
The translation was produced independently from the Old Tibetan source text. No prior English translation is known to exist. The divination terminology was cross-referenced against published scholarship on Tibetan mo divination by Rémi Chaix and Brandon Dotson's studies of Old Tibetan manuscripts. Any errors of interpretation are the translator's own.
Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
🌲
Source Text: Pelliot tibétain 1055
Old Tibetan source text from the Old Tibetan Documents Online (OTDO), Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA), Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.
(1) ba la btab na don myi 'grub / / dgra pya la
(2) btab na dgras myi tshugs / / 'pho skyas bya
(3) na ngan / / 'dron po la btab na nye zho myed de
(4) re shig myi 'ong / / mo gzhi / : /
(5) $ / / dong tse bzhI gan te gzhan bub na / chu 'i
(6) ngo byung ste / / lus la gdon myed / / khyim
(7) pya dang srog pya la btab na bzang / / snying la
(8) 'tsher ba yod kyang nyes pa myi 'byung / / bya 'o
(9) cog grub / / gnyen bya na bu tsa gzhin / / khang
(10) khyim bya na kha dro / / nad pa la btab na sos
(11) pa'i ngo / / gdon pya la btab na / drI mo dang
(12) thab rgod che / / don gnyer na grub / / dgra pya la
(13) btab na / dgra myed / / bor rlag byung na rnyed pa'I
(14) ngo / / 'pho skyas bya na bzang / / nad pa la btab
(15) na sos pa'i ngo / / 'dron po la btab na /
(16) myur du phyin te mo 'di ci la btab kyang bzang
(17) rab bo / : /
(18) $ / / dong tse lnga gan te gzhan bub na / gser
(19) gi ngo byung ste / / khyim phya dang srog pya la btab
(20) na / / nor rdzas shig la gdon che ste / bya 'o cog
(21) myi grub / / srog pya la btab na shi ba'i ngo / / nad
(22) pa la btab na / / myur du sa ma spos na shI ba'I ngo
(23) gsol ba dang shags bkye na myi gnang ste pham
(24) ba'i ngo / / gnyen bya na khyim tab shi ba'i ngo / /
(25) dgra pya la btab na / dgra dang phrad pa'i ngo / / zhal
(26) ces btab na re shig myi 'byang / / srid pya la
(27) btab na / srid myed pa'i ngo / / 'dron po la btab
(28) na / nye zho byung ste / re shig myi 'ong / / bor rlag la
(29) btab na myi rnyed / / mo 'di ci la btab kyang
(30) ngan rab bo /:/
(31) $ / / dong tse drug gan te gzhan bub na / sa 'i ngo byung
(32) ste / / khyim pya dang srog pya la btab na bzang / rab
(33) gsol pa dang shags bkye na gnang nas bdag rgyal
(34) ba'i ngo / / gnyen bya na 'phrod de bu tsa gzhin / /
(35) khang khyIm bya na / dbang tang skye phyug btsan ba'i ngo /
(36) don gnyer na grub / / nad pa la btab na sos /
(37) bor rlag byung na rnyed pa'i ngo / / 'pho skyas bya na
(38) bzang / / 'dron po la btab na myur du phyin te /
(39) mo 'di ci la btab kyang bzang rab bo / : /
(40) $ / / dong tse bdun gan te gzhan bub na / lI'i
(41) ngo byung ste / / srog pya dang khyim pya la btab na
(42) ngan / / bla nas gyod rmas saM myi rmas pa la btab na
(43) rmas pa'i ngo / / nad pa la btab na cho ga ma byas
(44) na shI ba'i ngo / / lam ring por 'gro 'am myi 'gro ba
(45) la btab na / 'gro ste ne zho 'byung ba'i ngo / / dgra
(46) pya la btab na / dgra dang phrad pa'i ngo / / gsol ba
(47) la btab na myi gnang / / gdon pya la btab na / rtsog
(48) dang thab che ba'i ngo / / grog pya la btab na grog myed /
(49) 'dron po la btab na / re shIg myi 'ong / / mo 'di
(50) ci la btab kyang ngan rab bo / : /
(51) $ / / dong tse brgyad gan te gzhan bub na / / sa dang
(52) chu 'i ngo byung ste / lus ki srog pya la btab na bzang
(53) rab / / khyim pya dang srid pya la btab na / snyIng la 'tsher
(54) ba yod kyang nyes pa myi 'byung ste bzang / / dgra pya
(55) la btab na / dgras myi tshugs / / ngo 'phral dang las
(56) gsol na myi gnang / / don gnyer na myi grub / gnyen
(57) bya na 'byor / / nad pa la btab na myur du 'byang / /
(58) bor rlag byung na re shIg myi rnyed de gzhan gis brin pa'i ngo /
(59) 'pho skyas byas na nyes pa myi 'byung / / khang khyim byas
(60) na gdon myi ldang / / 'dron po la btab na nye zho myed d
(61) re shig myi 'ong / / grog pya la btab na grog phyi dal / /
(62) gdon pya la btab na myi lha dang gdon ngo mchis pa'i ngo /
(63) phar 'gro 'am myi 'gro ba la btab na myi 'gro ste mo
(64) gzhi /:/
(65) $ / / dong tse dgu gan de gzhan bub na / / kong tse 'i
(66) ngo 'byung ste / / khyim pya dang srid pya la btab na /
(67) zla ba tshes pa bzhin ste / yar yar skye zhing bzang
(68) rab / / nad pa la btab na sos pa'i ngo / / 'ong ngam
(69) myi 'ong ba la btab na / nye zho myed de myur du 'ong
(70) ba'i ngo / / grog pya la btab na / grog ched po thob
(71) pa'I ngo / / gsol ba dang shags 'gyed na / bdag
(72) rgyal nas snying dga' ba'i ngo / / srid pya la btab
(73) na bzang / / nad pa la btab na myur du sos pa'i
(74) ngo / / srog pya la btab na bzang / 'dron po lam
(75) du zhugs te 'gro ba la btab na / / bla mas bskyabs
(76) mdzad pa'i ngo / / mo 'di ci la btab kyang bzang rab bo
(77) /:/ $ /:/ dong tse bcu gan te gzhang bub
(78) na / / mye dang sa'i ngo byung ste / / lus la nad myed /
(79) srog pya la btab na bzang / don gnyer na don grub /
(80) ngo 'phral dang las gsol na gnang / / khang
(81) khyim dang gnyen byed na bkra shis / / nad pa la
(82) btab na / rtsI sman bya myi dgos par sos / /
(83) zhal ces btab na myur du 'byang / / bor rlag byung
(84) na rnyed dka' / / 'pho skyas byas na nye zho myi 'byung /
(85) 'dron po la btab na re shig myi 'ong ste mo
(86) gzhi /:/:/ $ / / dong tse bcu gcig
(87) gan te gzhan bub na / / ki wang gi ngo byung ste
(88) bla nas gyod rmas saM myi rmas pa la btab na /
(89) rmas pa'i ngo / / khyim pya dang srog pya la btab
(90) na / gdon phugs su zhugs te bya dgur myI rung
(91) / gdon pya la btab na / rgyal byin dang the'u rang che
(92) ba'i ngo / / nad pa la btab na shI ba'i ngo / / shags
(93) bkye na pham ba'i ngo / / 'ong ngam myi 'ong
(94) ba la btab na myi 'ong / / grog pya la btab na
Source Colophon
Old Tibetan text from the Old Tibetan Documents Online (OTDO), Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA), Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. URL: https://otdo.aa-ken.jp/archives?p=Pt_1055. The OTDO provides transliterations of the Pelliot tibétain collection held by the Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris. The manuscript was recovered from the sealed library cave (Cave 17) at the Mogao Grottoes, Dunhuang, Gansu Province, China. Dated approximately 9th–10th century CE.
🌲