大唐西域記 1.33

1.33

自素葉水城，至羯霜那國，地名窣利，人亦謂焉。文字語言，即隨稱矣。字源簡略，本二十餘言，轉而相生，其流浸廣，粗有書記，竪讀其文，遞相傳授，師資無替。服氈褐，衣皮㲲，裳服褊急。齊髮露頂，或總剪剃，繒綵絡額，形容偉大，志性恇怯，風俗澆訛，多行詭詐，大抵貪求，父子計利，財多為貴，良賤無差。雖富巨萬，服食麁弊。力田逐利者雜半矣。

From the town of the Su-yeh river as far as the Ki-shwang-na country the land is called Su-li, and the people are called by the same name. The literature (written characters) and the spoken language are likewise so called. The primary characters are few; in the beginning they were thirty or so in number : the words are composed by the combination of these ; these combinations have produced a large and varied vocabulary. They have some literature, which the common sort read together ; their mode of writing is handed down from one master to another without interruption, and is thus preserved. Their inner clothing is made of a fine hair-cloth (linen) ; their outer garments are of skin, their lower garments of linen, short and tight. They adjust their hair so as to leave the top of the head exposed (that is, they shave the top of their heads). Sometimes they shave their hair completely. They wear a silken band round their foreheads. They are tall of stature, but their wills are weak and pusillanimous. They are as a rule crafty and deceitful in their conduct and extremely covetous. Both parent and child plan how to get wealth ; and the more they get the more they esteem each other; but the well-to-do and the poor are not distinguished; even when immensely rich, they feed and clothe themselves meanly. The strong bodied cultivate the land ; the rest (half) engage in money-getting (business).