The Yuwen ( < Eastern Han Chinese: *''wa^B-mun'' <

Old Chinese Old Chinese, also called Archaic Chinese in older works, is the oldest attested stage of Chinese language, Chinese, and the ancestor of all modern varieties of Chinese. The earliest examples of Chinese are divinatory inscriptions on oracle bones ...

*''waʔ-mən''Schuessler, Axel. 2007. ''An Etymological Dictionary of Old Chinese''. University of Hawaii Press. p. 587, 514) is a

Chinese compound surname A Chinese compound surname is a Chinese surname using more than one Chinese character, character. Many of these compound surnames derive from Zhou dynasty Chinese noble and official titles, professions, place names and other areas, to serve a purp ...

originated from a pre-state

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...

of Xianbei ethnicity of

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 20 ...

origin during the era of

Sixteen Kingdoms The Sixteen Kingdoms (), less commonly the Sixteen States, was a chaotic period in Chinese history from AD 304 to 439 when northern China fragmented into a series of short-lived dynastic states. The majority of these states were founded by ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, until its destruction by

Former Yan The Former Yan (; 337–370) was a dynastic state ruled by the Xianbei during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms in China. Initially, Murong Huang and his son Murong Jun claimed the Jin dynasty-created title "Prince of Yan," but subsequently, in 352, ...

's prince

Murong Huang Murong Huang (; 297–348), courtesy name Yuanzhen (元真), formally Prince Wenming of (Former) Yan ((前)燕文明王) was the founding monarch of the Xianbei-led Former Yan dynasty of China. When he first succeeded his father Murong Hui in 3 ...

in 345. Among the eastern Xianbei clans that ranged from the central part of the present day

Liaoning Liaoning () is a coastal province in Northeast China that is the smallest, southernmost, and most populous province in the region. With its capital at Shenyang, it is located on the northern shore of the Yellow Sea, and is the northernmost ...

province and eastward, Yuwen clan was the largest, and was awarded the position of the leader of eastern Xianbei (東部大人) by Chinese rulers. A descendant of the Yuwen tribe,

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 ...

, established the Northern Zhou Dynasty in the 6th century. Yuwen were descendants of the nomadic Xiongnu who became assimilated with the Xianbei after 89 CE and ruled the

Kumo Xi The Kumo Xi (Xu Elina-Qian, p.296b), also known as the Tatabi, were a Mongolic steppe people located in current Northeast China from 207 CE to 907 CE. After the death of their ancestor Tadun in 207, they were no longer called Wuhuan but joined t ...

and Khitan (both Mongolic peoples) before being defeated by

Murong Murong (; LHC: *''mɑC-joŋ''; EMC: *''mɔh-juawŋ'') or Muren refers to an ethnic Xianbei tribe who are attested from the time of Tanshihuai (reigned 156–181). Different strands of evidence exist linking the Murong to the MongolsТаск� ...

Huang in 344 CE, upon which Yuwen separated from the Kumo Xi and Khitan. The language of the Yuwen is thought to be Turkic or a very distant branch of Mongolic.

People with this surname

, paramount general of the Chinese/Xianbei state Western Wei * Yuwen Jue, First Emperor of Northern Zhou * Yuwen Yu, Second Emperor of Northern Zhou * Yuwen Yong, Third Emperor of Northern Zhou * Yuwen Yun, Fourth Emperor of Northern Zhou * Yuwen Yan, Fifth and Last Emperor of Northern Zhou * Yuwen Huaji, general of the Sui Dynasty * Yuwen Rong, official and Chancellor of the Tang Dynasty, * Yuwen Jie, official and Chancellor of the Tang Dynasty, * Yuwen Shu, official and general of the Sui Dynasty * Yuwen Shiji, official of the Sui Dynasty and Chancellor of the Tang Dynasty * Yuwen Xian, official and general of Northern Zhou *

Yuwen Hu Yuwen Hu (宇文護) (513 – 14 April 572), courtesy name Sabao (薩保, also a title, which can be traced back to ''sartpāw “caravan leader”'', but was used as given name, in many cases by Buddhists - referring to the metaphorical meaning of ...

, regent of the Xianbei dynasty Northern Zhou * Yuwen Suo'an (宇文所安), the Chinese name of the sinologist Stephen Owen

Chieftains of the Yuwen

Notes

{{Donghu and Xianbei, state=expanded Manchuria Ancient peoples of China Xianbei Individual Chinese surnames

People with this surname

Chieftains of the Yuwen

See also

Notes