The change of

Xianbei The Xianbei (; ) were a Proto-Mongolic ancient nomadic people that once resided in the eastern Eurasian steppes in what is today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Northeastern China. They originated from the Donghu people who splintered into the ...

family names to Han names was part of a larger

sinicization Sinicization, sinofication, sinification, or sinonization (from the prefix , 'Chinese, relating to China') is the process by which non-Chinese societies come under the influence of Chinese culture, particularly the language, societal norms, cul ...

campaign.Book of Wei volume 113Branner, David Prager. 006(2006). John Benjamins Publishing. The Chinese Rime Tables: Linguistic Philosophy And Historical-comparative. It was at its peak intensity under Emperor Xiaowen of the

Northern Wei Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei (), Tuoba Wei (), Yuan Wei () and Later Wei (), was founded by the Tuoba (Tabgach) clan of the Xianbei. The first of the Northern and Southern dynasties#Northern dynasties, Northern dynasties ...

dynasty in 496.

Background

To formalize sinification, a number of actions were taken prior to the name changes. * In 493 the capital was moved to

Luoyang Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...

, closer to the agricultural

Han Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...

and away from the nomadic roots. * In 494 nomadic style clothing were abandoned. * In 495 nomadic languages at court were abandoned.

Changes

ordered Xianbei family names that were two-to-three syllables to be shortened to one-to-two syllables, converting them to Han names. Later historians, including

Wei Shou Wei Shou () (506–572), courtesy name Boqi (伯起), was a Chinese author born in Quyang County in Julu Commandery (today Xingtai, Hebei).(魏收，字伯起，小字佛助，巨鹿下曲阳人也.) ''Bei Qi Shu'', vol.37 He wrote the ''Book of ...

, the author of the official history of Northern Wei,

Book of Wei The ''Book of Wei'', also known by its Chinese name as the ''Wei Shu'', is a classic Chinese historical text compiled by Wei Shou from 551 to 554, and is an important text describing the history of the Northern Wei and Eastern Wei from 386 to 5 ...

, found shortened Han-style names to be easier to write about, and therefore used post-496 family names even where pre-496 events involving Northern Wei were described. Later, after the division of Northern Wei into two in 534, the paramount general of

Western Wei Wei (), known in historiography as the Western Wei (), was an imperial dynasty of China that followed the disintegration of the Northern Wei. One of the Northern dynasties during the era of the Northern and Southern dynasties, it ruled the weste ...

Yuwen Tai Yuwen Tai () (505 – 21 November 556According to Yuwen Tai's biography in ''Book of Zhou'', he died aged 52 (by East Asian reckoning) on the ''yihai'' day of the 10th month of the 3rd year of the reign of Emperor Gong of Western Wei. This corre ...

, tried to reverse these name changes and restore Xianbei names. A number of generals and officials changed their names back to Xianbei names, but after the destruction of Western Wei's successor state,

Northern Zhou Zhou (), known in historiography as the Northern Zhou (), was a Xianbei-led dynasty of China that lasted from 557 to 581. One of the Northern dynasties of China's Northern and Southern dynasties period, it succeeded the Western Wei dynasty and ...

(which was ruled by Yuwen Tai's descendants), the Han names were restored for Han and Xianbei alike. There were some exceptions, for example, the clan of

Emperor Wen of Sui The Emperor Wen of Sui (; 21 July 541 – 13 August 604), personal name Yang Jian (), Xianbei name Puliuru Jian (), alias Narayana () deriving from Buddhist terms, was the founder and the first emperor of the Chinese Sui dynasty. The ''Book of ...

's wife Empress Dugu kept their Xianbei name of Dugu and did not once again change the name into Liu. Yuwen Tai further had Han officials and generals change their names to Xianbei names, although this change was itself rescinded by the

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

Yang Jian near the end of Northern Zhou.Book of Wei volume 113

Name correspondence

Below is a list of the Xianbei names that are known to have been changed into Han names: *

Tuoba The Tuoba (reconstructed Middle Chinese pronunciation: *''tʰak-bɛt''), also known as the Taugast or Tabgach ( otk, 𐱃𐰉𐰍𐰲 ''Tabγač''), was a Xianbei clan in Imperial China.Wei Shou. '' Book of Wei''. Vol. 1 During the Sixteen King ...

(拓拔) (imperial clan name) -> Yuan (元) * Tufa (秃髮) -> Yuan (源) * Gegu (紇骨) -> Hu (胡) * Pu (普) -> Zhou (周) * Baba (拔拔) -> Zhangsun (長孫) * Daxi (達奚) -> Xi (奚) * Yilou (伊婁) -> Yi (伊) * Qiudun (丘敦) -> Qiu (丘) * Xiqihai (係俟亥) -> Hai (亥) * Yizhan (乙旃) -> Shusun (叔孫) * Chekun (車焜) -> Che (車) * Qiumuling (丘穆陵) -> Mu (穆) * Buliugu (步六孤) -> Lu (陸) * Helai (賀賴) ->

He (賀) He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

* Dugu (獨孤) ->

Liu / ( or ) is an East Asian surname. pinyin: in Mandarin Chinese, in Cantonese. It is the family name of the Han dynasty emperors. The character originally meant 'kill', but is now used only as a surname. It is listed 252nd in the classic text ...

(劉) * Helou (賀樓) -> Lou (樓) * Wuniuyu (勿忸于) -> Yu (于) * Shilian (是連) ->

Lian (連) Lian/Lien ( 連/ 连), ( 廉) is a Chinese surname. Origin 連 The Chinese Lian ( 連) family originated from the Gaoxin (高辛) family, Lianao (連敖) of Chu (state), and the Jiang (姜) family of Qi (state). Also, it was founded from vario ...

* Pulan (僕闌) -> Pu (僕) * Ruogan (若干) ->

Gou (苟) Gou or GOU may refer to: People * Empress Gou (), wife of Fú Jiān of Former Qin * Empress Dowager Gou (), mother of Fú Jiān of Former Qin * Oeyo (1573–1626), wife of Shōgun Tokugawa Hidetada Surname * Terry Gou (born 1950), Taiwanese b ...

* Balielan (拔列蘭) -> Liang (梁) * Bolue (撥略) -> Su (蘇) * Ruokouyin (若口引) -> Kou (寇) * Chiluo (叱羅) ->

Luo (羅) Luo or Lo refers to the Mandarin romanizations of the Chinese surnames 羅 (Simplified Chinese: 罗, pinyin: Luó, Jyutping: Lo4) and 駱 (Simplified Chinese: 骆, pinyin: Luò, Jyutping: Lok3). Of the two surnames, wikt:罗 is much more comm ...

* Pulouru (普陋茹) -> Ru (茹) * Hege (賀葛) -> Ge (葛) * Shiben (是賁) -> Feng (封) * Afugan (阿扶干) -> A (阿) * Kediyan (可地延) -> Yan (延) * Aluhuan (阿鹿桓) -> Lu (鹿) * Taluoba (他駱拔) -> Luo (駱) * Boxi (薄奚) -> Bo (薄) * Wuwan (烏丸) -> Huan (桓) * Suhe (素和) -> He (和) * Hugukouyin (胡古口引) or Gukouyin (古口引) -> Hou (侯) * Yuhun (谷渾) -> Hun (渾) * Pilou (匹婁) -> Lou (婁) * Qilifa (俟力伐) -> Bao (鮑) * Tufulu (吐伏盧) -> Lu (盧) * Dieyun (牒云) -> Yun (云) * Shiyun (是云) -> Shi (是) * Chili (叱利) -> Li (利) * Fulü (副呂) -> Fu (副) * Ruluo (如羅) -> Ru (如) * Qifu (乞扶) -> Fu (扶) * Kedan (可單 or 渴單) -> Dan (單) (Shàn) * Qiji (俟幾) -> Ji (幾) * He'er (賀兒) -> Er (兒) * Tuxi (吐奚) -> Gu (古) * Chulian (出連) -> Bi (畢) * Heba (賀拔) -> He (何) * Chilü (叱呂) -> Lü (呂) * Monalou (莫那婁) -> Mo (莫) * Xidoulu (奚斗盧) -> Suolu (索盧) * Molu (莫蘆) -> Lu (蘆) * Budahan (步大汗) -> Han (韓) * Moluzhen (沒路真) -> Lu (路) * Hudigan (扈地干) -> Hu (扈) * Muyu (慕輿) -> Yu (輿) * Gegan (紇干) -> Gan (干) * Qifujin (俟伏斤) -> Fu (伏) * Shilou (是樓) -> Gao (高) * Qutu (屈突) -> Qu (屈) * Talu (沓盧) -> Ta (沓) * Washilan (嗢石蘭) -> Shi (石) * Jiepi (解枇) -> Jie (解) (Xie) * Qijin (奇斤) -> Qi (奇) * Xubu (須卜) -> Bu (卜) * Qiulin (丘林) -> Lin (林) * Damogan (大莫干) -> Ge (郃) * Ermian (尒綿) -> Mian (綿) * Gailou (蓋樓) -> Gai (蓋) * Suli (素黎) ->

Li (黎) Li, li, or LI may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Landscape Institute, a British professional body for landscape architects * Leadership Institute, a non-profit organization located in Arlington, Virginia, US, that teaches "political te ...

* Yidoujuan (壹斗眷) -> Ming (明) * Chimen (叱門) -> Men (門) * Suliujin (宿六斤) -> Su (宿) * Bibi (馝纰) -> Bi (纰) * Tunan (土難) -> Shan (山) * Wuyin (屋引) -> Fang (房) * Shuluogan (樹洛干) -> Shu (樹) * Yifu (乙弗) -> Yi (乙) * Maojuan (茂眷) -> Mao (茂) * Youlian (宥連) -> Yun (雲) * Gedouling (紇豆陵) -> Dou (竇) * Houmochen (侯莫陳) -> Chen (陳) * Kudi (庫狄) -> Di (狄) * Tailuoji (太洛稽) -> Ji (稽) * Keba (柯拔) -> Ke (柯) * Yuchi (尉遲) -> Yu (尉) * Bulugen (步鹿根) -> Bu (步) * Poduoluo (破多羅) -> Pan (潘) * Chigan (叱干) -> Xue (薛) * Qinu (俟奴) -> Qi (俟) * Nianchi (輾遲) -> Zhan (展) * Feilian (費連) -> Fei (費) * Qilian (其連) -> Qi (綦) * Qujin (去斤) -> Ai (艾) * Kehou (渴侯) -> Gou (緱) * Chilu (叱盧) -> Zhu (祝) * Heji (和稽) -> Huan (緩) * Tulai (菟賴) -> Jiu (就) * Wapen (嗢盆) -> Wen (溫) * Dabo (達勃) -> Bao (褒) * Duguhun (獨孤渾) -> Du (杜) * Helan (賀蘭) -> He (賀) * Yuyuanzhen (郁原甄) -> Zhen (甄) * Gexi (紇奚) -> Ji (嵇) * Yuele (越勒) -> Yue (越) * Chinu (叱奴) -> Lang (狼) * Kezhuhun (渴燭渾) -> Zhu (朱) * Kuruguan (庫褥官) -> Ku (庫) * Wuluolan (烏洛蘭) -> Lan (蘭) * Yinalou (一那蔞) -> Lou (蔞) * Yufu (羽弗) -> Yu (羽)

Major Xianbei names that were not changed

Several major Xianbei clan names were apparently judged by Emperor Xiaowen to be sufficiently Han-like to not to be changed. These included: * Tuyuhun (吐谷渾) * Heruo (賀若) * Na (那) * Yu (庾)

References

{{reflist

External links

鮮卑姓氏一覽Xianbei Surnames 《魏書.官氏志》

Chinese Big5 code page) via

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...