Abstract
With the assistance of high magnification photographs, this paper presents a careful examination of the physical characteristics of Juyan Han dynasty wood slips 65.9 and 65.10 at the Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, concluding that they are the left and right halves of an exit-entry certification tally (fu). The paper then analyzes the script, format, contents, and time periods of exit-entry talliesin Han dynasty slips from northwest China, discussing how the tallies were made, the relationship between the notched teeth found on the sides of the slips and the positions of left and right, and the systems and regulations of applying for, drawing up, granting, using, and verifying exit-entry tallies. In this way, we can better understand the processes of governance and administration behind complicated document formats.
Keywords
exit-entry certification tally (fu); tally matching; notched teeth; physical characteristics of wood slips; document formats
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