𐰲𐰃𐰏𐰾𐰃

Old Turkic

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle Chinese 刺史 (MC tshjeH|tshjek sriX, “provincial governor”).

Noun

𐰲𐰃𐰏𐰾𐰃 (čigši)

1. (politics) district magistrate
   • 8th century CE, Tariat Inscriptions, N2

     𐰆𐰖𐰍𐰺:𐰉𐰆𐰑𐰣𐰃:𐱅𐰏𐱅𐰢𐰤:𐰉𐰆𐰋𐰃𐱅𐰓𐰝𐰓𐰀:𐰴𐰣𐰢𐰀:𐱃𐰺𐰍𐰴𐰉𐱂𐰃𐰴𐰍𐰾𐱃𐰲𐰸𐰋𐰏𐰔𐰚𐰼:𐰲𐰃𐰏𐰾𐰃:𐰉𐰃𐰞𐰀:𐰉𐰍𐰀𐱃𐰺𐰴𐰣:𐰇𐰲𐰘𐰇𐰕𐱃𐰆𐰺𐰍𐰴:𐱃𐰆𐰺𐰑𐰃

     uyɣur:bodunïtegitimin:bubitidükde:qanïma:turɣaqbašïqaɣasatačuqbegzeker:čigši:bïla:baɣatarqan:üčyüzturɣaq:turïtdï

     While the princes from my Uyghur people write this, the head of his guards Kagas Ataçuk, (along with) Begzeger the district magistrate and Bıla Bagha Tarkhan, three hundred guards planted (the inscription).

References

• Aydın, Erhan (2018) “çigşi”, in Uygur Yazıtları [Uyghur Inscriptions] (in Turkish), Istanbul: Bilge Kültür Sanat, →ISBN, page 125
• Clauson, Gerard (1972) “çigşi:”, in An Etymological Dictionary of pre-thirteenth-century Turkish, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 417