The Dongba, Tomba or Tompa or Mo-so symbols are a system of pictographic glyphs used by the ²dto¹mba (Bon priests) of the Naxi people in southern China.

[citation needed] Dongba is largely a mnemonic system, and cannot by itself represent the Naxi language; different authors may use the same glyphs with different meanings, and it may be supplemented with the geba syllabary for clarification.

According to Dongba religious fables, the Dongba script was created by the founder of the Bön religious tradition of Tibet, Tönpa Shenrab (Tibetan: ston pa gshen rab) or Shenrab Miwo (Tibetan: gshen rab mi bo),[3] while traditional Naxi genealogies attribute the script to a 13th-century king named Móubǎo Āzōng.

Today Dongba is nearly extinct, and the Chinese government is trying to revive it in an attempt to preserve Naxi culture.

Milnor concludes it is "unlikely that it [the Dongba script] would make the minor developmental leap to becoming a full-blown writing system.

"[10] The script is also present in modern settings, especially in the Ancient City of Lijiang, where tourists may see Dongba used alongside Chinese and English on business signs and public spaces.

Today, Dongba continues to be used in religious contexts, such as ceremonial chants and rituals, while also appearing in artistic and commercial forms.

Dongba symbols are incorporated into local crafts, souvenirs, and artwork, providing a visual link to Naxi cultural identity.

Priests drew detailed pictures to record information, and illustrations were simplified and conventionalized to represent not only material objects but also abstract ideas.