CHRONICLES OF CHINESE HISTORY华 夏 历 史 志

900 CE

Liao Royal StatesmanScholarCreator of Khitan Script

Yelu Lubugu

耶律鲁不古

Yelu Lubugu（?–952 CE）, courtesy name Tuyan, was a nephew of Emperor Taizu of Liao（Yelu Abaoji）and a premier statesman, linguistic innovator, and military commander of the early Khitan Liao dynasty. In 920 CE, acting upon the imperial command of Emperor Taizu, he collaborated with Yelu Tulübu to invent the Khitan Large Script, establishing an indigenous written orthography for the Khitan nation and compiling the earliest…

900 CELiao dynasty

PROFILE

Yelu Lubugu（?–952 CE）, courtesy name Tuyan, was a nephew of Emperor Taizu of Liao（Yelu Abaoji）and a premier statesman, linguistic innovator, and military commander of the early Khitan Liao dynasty. In 920 CE, acting upon the imperial command of Emperor Taizu, he collaborated with Yelu Tulübu to invent the Khitan Large Script, establishing an indigenous written orthography for the Khitan nation and compiling the earliest official state annals. In 936 CE, he escorted Later Jin founder Shi Jingtang's diplomats to the imperial yurt, decisively advocating Liao military intervention that crushed Later Tang and secured the historic cession of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. He subsequently rose to the supreme dignity of Yuyue and was appointed Northern Commissioner of Military Affairs (Beiyuan Shumishi) before dying in 952 CE.

Courtesy Name
Tuyan
Identity
Liao Royal Statesman, Scholar, Creator of Khitan Script
Era
Liao Dynasty（Five Dynasties period）
Dynasty
Liao Dynasty
Highest Office
Yuyue, Northern Commissioner of Military Affairs
Major Offices
Historiographer, Southwest Frontier Commissioner, Yuyue
Date of Birth
Unknown
Date of Death
952 CE（the 2nd year of Yingli）
Native Place
Dila Tribe, Khitan Royal Clan

LIFE TIMELINE

Creation of Khitan Script ｜ Commissioned by Emperor Taizu alongside Yelu Tulübu to devise the Khitan large script, rewarded with compiling state annals.
Assisting Later Jin ｜ Guided Shi Jingtang's ambassadors to the Liao court, advising Emperor Taizong to intervene and establish Later Jin.
Southwest Frontier ｜ Appointed Senior Frontier Commissioner （Da Xiangwen） of the Southwest, defending borders against Dangxiang attacks.
Invested as Yuyue ｜ Following Emperor Taizong's conquest of Kaifeng, elevated to the premier honorific office of Yuyue.
Death in Office ｜ Appointed Northern Commissioner of Military Affairs; passed away in office that same year.

BIOGRAPHY

Biography

Royal Lineage and the Creation of the Khitan Large Script

Yelu Lubugu was born into the royal horizontal tent lineage (Hengzhang) of the Khitan Dila tribe as a nephew of Emperor Taizu (Yelu Abaoji). Possessing innate intellectual sharpness and encyclopedic memory, he distinguished himself among early Khitan nobility. In 920 CE, Emperor Taizu recognized that the lack of an indigenous writing system hindered bureaucratic governance and tribal cohesion. He ordered Yelu Lubugu, in collaboration with his elder cousin Yelu Tulübu, to formulate a national writing system adapted from Chinese characters and nomadic vocabulary. Within months, they completed the Khitan Large Script (Qidan Dazi), which was promulgated across all tribes. In recognition of this foundational cultural achievement, Emperor Taizu appointed Lubugu to compile the imperial state annals (Guoshi), establishing the first institutional historiographical tradition in Liao history.

Strategic Diplomacy and the Rise of Later Jin

Beyond his scholarly achievements, Yelu Lubugu was an astute frontier commander and diplomat. In 936 CE, when Later Tang Emperor Li Congke besieged Military Governor Shi Jingtang at Taiyuan, Shi Jingtang sent envoys to northern grasslands seeking Khitan intervention, pledging the cession of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. Yelu Lubugu escorted the envoys to Emperor Taizong's royal camp and strongly urged imperial intervention, pointing out that breaking Later Tang would permanently neutralize northern China. Emperor Taizong followed his counsel, leading fifty thousand cavalry across the border to defeat Later Tang armies and install Shi Jingtang as Emperor of Later Jin.

Frontier Pacification and Supreme Dignity

In 938 CE, Lubugu was appointed Senior Pacification Commissioner (Da Xiangwen) of the Southwest Frontier, consolidating desert fortresses and deterring incursions from Dangxiang tribes. During Emperor Taizong's subsequent southward expedition in 947 CE, which briefly captured Kaifeng, Lubugu served as a core strategy adviser. For his lifelong civil and military merits, he was decorated with the singular Khitan supreme rank of Yuyue—a position above all ministers. In 952 CE, under Emperor Muzong, he was appointed Northern Commissioner of Military Affairs (Beiyuan Shumishi), heading the entire northern tribal military structure, and died in office later that year.

Major Activities

Formulation of the Khitan Large Script

In 920 CE, Yelu Lubugu co-created the Khitan Large Script, transitioning the Khitan people from oral and notched-tally records into an official literate civilization.

Strategic Guidance in Acquiring the Sixteen Prefectures

In 936 CE, Lubugu directed diplomatic negotiations with Shi Jingtang, orchestrating the alliance that yielded the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun to the Liao dynasty.

Personal Relations

  • Sovereigns: Emperor Taizu of Liao, Emperor Taizong, Emperor Shizong, Emperor Muzong.
  • Uncle: Emperor Taizu (Yelu Abaoji).
  • Colleague: Yelu Tulübu (Co-creator of Khitan Large Script).
  • Foreign Monarch: Shi Jingtang (Emperor Gaozu of Later Jin).

Historical Assessment

  • Emperor Taizu of Liao: Commended his creation of the Khitan script as a cultural milestone of enduring significance.
  • History of Liao (Liao Shi): Praised Yelu Lubugu for his exceptional erudition, diplomatic skill, and administrative governance as Yuyue and Northern Commissioner.
  • Records of the Khitan State (Qidan Guo Zhi): Recognized him as an indispensable founding architect of Liao institutions and military triumphs.

LOCAL NETWORK

FIGURES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS DYNASTY

867 CE–926 CE

Emperor Taizu of Liao

Yelü Abaoji (872–September 6, 926), of the Yelü clan, had the sinicized name Yi, the name Abaoji, and the childhood name Chulizhi. He came from Yelü Mili in the Xialaiyi shilie locality of the Khitan Diela tribe, in the area of present-day Chifeng, Inner Mongolia. He was the founder of the Liao dynasty, initially the Khitan state, and reigned from March 17, 916 to September 6, 926. He was the son of Yelü Saladi, late

1087 CE–1143 CE

Yelü Dashi

Yelü Dashi (1087–1143), courtesy name Zhongde, was a Khitan, an eighth-generation descendant of Yelü Abaoji, and the founding emperor of Western Liao, with the temple name Dezong. Literate in both Khitan and Chinese and skilled in riding and archery, he is the only Khitan jinshi explicitly recorded in the *History of Liao*. During the collapse of the Liao he led followers west and founded Western Liao in Central Asia

1075 CE–1128 CE

Yelü Yanxi

Yelü Yanxi (June 5, 1075–1128, with another account giving 1156), courtesy name Yanning and childhood name Aguo, was a Khitan and the last emperor of the Liao, with the honorific Tianzuo Emperor. He was a grandson of Emperor Daozong Yelü Hongji and the son of the posthumously honored Emperor Shunzong Yelü Jun and Empress Zhenshun Xiao Guyu. He reigned from 1101 to 1125 and successively used the era names Qiantong, Ti

971 CE–1031 CE

Yelü Longxu

Yelü Longxu (January 16, 972–June 25, 1031), whose Khitan name was Wenshunu, was the sixth emperor of the Liao and reigned for forty-nine years, longer than any other Liao ruler. He was the eldest son of Emperor Jingzong, Yelü Xian, and Empress Dowager Chengtian, Xiao Chuo. He ascended the throne at the age of twelve, with Xiao Chuo acting as regent, and governed jointly with her during the early part of his reign. I

Bibliography

  • History of Liao (Liao Shi), Biography of Yelu Lubugu.
  • History of Liao (Liao Shi), Annals of Emperor Taizu.
  • Records of the Khitan State (Qidan Guo Zhi), Annals of Emperor Taizu.