Introduction to the Major Achievements of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in the Study of Rare and Endangered Disciplines
To deeply implement the spirit of the important speeches delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the Symposium on Philosophy and Social Sciences and the Symposium on Cultural Inheritance and Development, and to further promote the inheritance, development, promotion, and transformation of research in "Coldness and Lost Knowledge" [1], the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) has selected and collectively released 14 representative achievements from among those recommended by its affiliated research units over the past decade. These include 11 monographs, one translated work, and two edited collections of ancient texts.
Heroic Epics and Oral Traditions: The Textual Form and Performance Art of the Epic "Manas" (by Adil Jumaturdu, Xueyuan Publishing House, September 2023 edition). This book systematically brushes through domestic and foreign research, expanding the research horizon with the latest data. Through field investigations focusing on the performance practices of manaschi [2], it analyzes—from the perspectives of text, singing, and inheritance—how to achieve a balance between composition and fluidity. The book emphasizes that improvised innovation within traditional formulas is the key to "composition-in-performance," breaking through the text-centered paradigm and elucidating the value of epics in activating culture and connecting the past and present through living performance.
A Study of Dongba Epics (by Yang Jiehong, Xueyuan Publishing House, October 2024 edition). Adopting the perspective of "ritual narrative" and utilizing oral formulaic theory, this book reveals the deep formulaic structure of the generation of Dongba epic texts. By explaining narrative modes and collective communication characteristics within ritual contexts, it constructs a new analytical path combining "ritual and narrative," providing theoretical support for epic studies and the construction of an autonomous knowledge system [3] for folk literature.
Series of Translated Sanskrit Literature (Volumes 1–12) (translated by Huang Baosheng et al., Zhongxi Book Company, 2020–2024 editions). The "Series of Translated Sanskrit Literature" is one of the core achievements of the National Social Science Fund of China's special commissioned project, "Sanskrit Studies and Personnel Development." To date, more than ten classical translations of Sanskrit literature have been published, covering various literary styles such as poetry, novels, drama, and story literature. Representing the outstanding achievements of Sanskrit literature across different historical periods, this is the most systematic result of classical Sanskrit literature translation into Chinese to date.
Sanskrit-Chinese Collation and Middle Chinese Translated Scripture Grammar (by Jiang Nan, China Social Sciences Press, May 2025 edition). Starting from typical syntactic phenomena and making full use of materials and methods of Sanskrit-Chinese collation, this book meticulously describes linguistic phenomena in Middle Chinese translated scriptures and provides persuasive and reasonable explanations. It reveals the actual operational process of this linguistic conversion project, deeply explores the relationship between Buddhist scripture translation and the evolution of the Chinese language, and constructs a relatively independent research method and paradigm for Buddhist Chinese.
"Nouns Used as Verbs" and the Semantic Attributes of Nouns and Verbs in Archaic Chinese (by Ren He, China Social Sciences Press, July 2020 edition). This book fully absorbs and draws on the excellent achievements of traditional xunhu [4] (exegesis) and the cutting-edge theories of formal, cognitive, and functional schools since the 20th century. Starting with an analysis of the semantic attributes of nouns and verbs in Archaic Chinese, it focuses on exploring the semantic basis, constraining factors and rules, generation processes and interpretative mechanisms of nouns used as verbs, and the hierarchical nature of denominal verbs. It represents major breakthroughs in specific conclusions, research methods, and theoretical explorations.
A Critical Review of Dating Standards for Yinxu Oracle Bone Inscriptions (by Chang Yuzhi, China Social Sciences Press, December 2020 edition). This book combs through and organizes the history of dating research on Yinxu [5] oracle bone inscriptions over the past century, dividing it into four stages and providing detailed introductions and critiques of the dating standards and circumstances for each stage. As a summary work of over a hundred years of dating research on Yinxu oracle bones, it holds significant reference value for driving the in-depth development of oracle bone studies and Shang Dynasty history, as well as promoting the application of archaeological knowledge.
Wooden Tablets from the Han Tomb at Jizhuang, Tianchang (edited by the CASS Center for Bamboo and Silk Manuscripts et al.; Chief Editors Yang Zhenhong and Wu Wenling, Zhonghua Book Company, April 2025 edition). This book primarily includes an overview of the wooden tablets from the Han tomb at Jizhuang, Tianchang, color and infrared plates of the tablets, transcriptions and annotations, the tomb excavation report, and related research papers. The 34 wooden tablets provide precious materials for studying the politics, economy, society, and culture of the Jianghuai region during the mid-Western Han Dynasty, and are of great significance for advancing research on Han Dynasty regional social culture.
Cartographic Historiography Studies (by Sun Jingguo, China Social Sciences Press, December 2024 edition). This book conducts a systematic study of various types of ancient and historical Chinese maps, proposing research methods based on a "functional approach" and "little traditions" [6], while actively introducing digital humanities methods. It puts forward the concept of "cartographic historiography," noting that its research should encompass three dimensions: the history of cartography, ancient maps as historical sources and methods, and historical maps as research methods and results.
Research on Qiang Dialects: Phonology and Vocabulary (by Sun Hongkai, Liu Guangkun, and Huang Chenglong, China Social Sciences Press, December 2024 edition). Based on survey data of the Qiang language from 1956–1960, this book introduces the history and socio-cultural background of the Qiang people, the phonological systems of 20 survey points across the Northern and Southern dialects, and over 1,600 vocabulary entries for each point. With detailed data and a complete system, the book provides an important reference for the comparative study of Qiang dialects, the historical study of related languages, and the development of the Qiang language. It also plays a positive role in the study of Qiang language and script and cultural inheritance.
A Systematic Collection of the Compilation and Study of the Tangut Version of the "Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtra" (Series 1, 10 volumes) (Chief Editor Sun Bojun, Huangshan Publishing House, March 2024 edition). Based on the Tangut [7] version of the Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtra from the Khara-Khoto manuscripts held in Russia, this series adopts the "four-line interlinear translation method"—a classic method for organizing ethnic ancient texts—to systematically interpret the forms, sounds, and meanings of the Tangut script in this monumental work. It effectively presents the structural features of Tangut phonology, vocabulary, and grammar, ultimately forming a bilingual Tangut-Chinese corpus based on Buddhist classics. It serves as an excellent model for the organization and study of ancient ethnic texts held both domestically and abroad.
Textual Annotation and Grammatical Study of the Ancient Tibetan Document "Ba Zhe" (by Long Congjun, China Social Sciences Press, April 2022 edition). This book is an attempt at the deep digitalization of ancient Tibetan documents and the grammatical study of specific ancient texts. Taking characters, words, sentences, paragraphs, and chapters as units, it conducts various levels of translation, grammatical annotation, and grammatical research, and constructs an automatic interlinear annotation model. The book provides objective and authentic textual materials for exploring ancient Tibetan phonology, vocabulary, and grammar; it holds academic reference value for grammatical research on specific Tibetan historical texts and for studies on Sino-Tibetan language contact and historical comparison. The database and model construction lay a solid foundation for the large-scale processing of ancient Tibetan literary texts.
Research on Orkhon Uyghur Inscriptions (by Mireguli Heili, China Social Sciences Press, February 2022 edition). This book systematically organizes and provides linguistic philological commentary on the Uyghur inscriptions among the Orkhon inscriptions. It comprehensively analyzes their vocabulary, grammar, and relationships with Old Turkic, Mongolian, and Chinese, while discussing linguistic inheritance and variation in conjunction with Middle and Modern Turkic. Introducing research methods from the Berlin and Japanese schools, it proposes an explanatory framework of lexical stratification and hybridity, launching a systematic study of Uyghur inscriptions that is of great value to the history of language and cultural exchange.
Chinese Civilization in the Ilkhanate: Migrants, Envoys, and Material Exchange (by Chen Chunxiao, Social Sciences Academic Press, December 2023 edition). This is a historical monograph that systematically examines the westward transmission of Chinese civilization to the Islamic world of West Asia during the Mongol-Yuan period. Utilizing multilingual historical sources including Persian, Arabic, Chinese, and Turkic, the study focuses on three major themes: the activities of Chinese migrants in West Asia, diplomatic exchanges between the Yuan Dynasty and the Ilkhanate, and the dissemination and influence of Chinese material culture in the Islamic world. It vividly demonstrates the grand landscape of ancient Chinese civilization spreading to West Asia and profoundly reveals the outstanding contribution of Chinese civilization to world civilization.
Manchu Language and Literature Textbook Series (Complete in 5 volumes) (Chief Editor Zhao Ke, China Social Sciences Press, January 2025 edition). The "Manchu Language and Literature Textbook Series" is a major achievement of the Collaborative Innovation Academy for Coldness and Lost Knowledge at the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Following a progressive pedagogical arrangement, the textbooks are divided into five volumes: Manchu Language Studies, Practical Manchu Conversation, Unpointed Manchu Script, Selected Readings of Manchu Documents, and An Introduction to the Study of Manchu Language and Script in the Qing Dynasty. They sequentially construct a systematic and complete teaching system. The content is authoritative, combining academic rigor with practicality, providing a solid knowledge vehicle for training Manchu studies personnel in the New Era.
(Contributed by the Bureau of Research Management, CASS) Source: China Social Sciences Today, September 29, 2025 Web Editor: Huihui