The Yuwen ( <

Eastern Han Chinese Eastern Han Chinese or Later Han Chinese is the stage of the Chinese language revealed by poetry and glosses from the Eastern Han period (first two centuries AD). It is considered an intermediate stage between Old Chinese and the Middle Chinese ...

: *''wa^B-mun'' <

Old Chinese Old Chinese, also called Archaic Chinese in older works, is the oldest attested stage of Chinese, and the ancestor of all modern varieties of Chinese. The earliest examples of Chinese are divinatory inscriptions on oracle bones from around 1250 ...

*''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 character. Many of these compound surnames derive from Zhou dynasty Chinese noble and official titles, professions, place names and other areas, to serve a purpose. Some are origi ...

originated from a pre-state clan 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 th ...

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 in China, until its destruction by Former Yan'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 i ...

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

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 ...

and Khitan (both Mongolic peoples) before being defeated by Murong 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 Emperor Xiaomin of Northern Zhou ((北)周孝閔帝) (542 – early November 557), personal name Yuwen Jue (宇文覺), nickname Dharani (陀羅尼), was the founder of the Xianbei-led Northern Zhou dynasty of China, ruling as Heavenly Prince ('' ...

, First Emperor of Northern Zhou *

Yuwen Yu Emperor Ming of Northern Zhou ((北)周明帝) (534 – 30 May 560), personal name Yuwen Yu (宇文毓), Xianbei name Tongwantu (統萬突), was an emperor of the Xianbei-led Chinese Northern Zhou dynasty, although at the start of his reign he us ...

, Second Emperor of Northern Zhou *

Yuwen Yong Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou ((北)周武帝) (543 – 21 June 578), personal name Yuwen Yong (宇文邕), Xianbei name Miluotu (禰羅突), was an emperor of the Xianbei-led Northern Zhou dynasty of China. As was the case of the reigns of his brot ...

, Third Emperor of Northern Zhou *

Yuwen Yun Emperor Xuan of Northern Zhou (北周宣帝) (559 – 22 June 580), personal name Yuwen Yun (宇文贇), courtesy name Qianbo (乾伯), was an emperor of the Xianbei-led Northern Zhou dynasty of China. He was known in history as an erratic and wa ...

, Fourth Emperor of Northern Zhou *

Yuwen Yan Emperor Jing of Northern Zhou ((北)周靜帝) (July or August 573 – 10 July 581), personally name né Yuwen Yan (宇文衍), later Yuwen Chan (宇文闡), was the last emperor of the Xianbei-led Chinese Northern Zhou dynasty. He became empero ...

, Fifth and Last Emperor of Northern Zhou *

Yuwen Huaji Yuwen Huaji (; died March 22, 619) was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician of the Sui Dynasty who, in 618, led a coup against and murdered Emperor Yang of Sui. He subsequently declared Emperor Yang's nephew Yang Hao emperor and ...

, general of the Sui Dynasty *

Yuwen Rong Yuwen Rong () (d. 730 or 731) was a Tang dynasty politician, serving as a chancellor for 100 days during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong. He was said to be the first official during Emperor Xuanzong's reign who became powerful on account of his abi ...

, official and Chancellor of the Tang Dynasty, *

Yuwen Jie Yuwen Jie (宇文節), courtesy name Dali (大禮),''New Book of Tang'', vol. 71. was an official of the Chinese Tang dynasty. He served as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Gaozong. Yuwen Jie's grandfather Yuwen Bi (宇文弼) was a maj ...

, official and Chancellor of the Tang Dynasty, *

Yuwen Shu Yuwen Shu (; died 616), courtesy name Botong (伯通), formally Duke Gong of Xu (許恭公), was a Chinese military general and politician of the Sui dynasty. He was a confidant of Emperor Yang (Yang Guang) and was instrumental in Yang Guang's di ...

, official and general of the Sui Dynasty *

Yuwen Shiji Yuwen Shiji (died 642), courtesy name Renren, formally Duke Zong of Ying, was a Chinese monarch and politician of the Sui and Tang dynasties, serving as a chancellor, as ''Shizhong'' (侍中) (625–626) and ''Zhongshu Ling'' (中書令) (626� ...

, official of the Sui Dynasty and Chancellor of the Tang Dynasty *

Yuwen Xian Yuwen Xian () (545–July 18, 578),Both his own biographies in ''Book of Zhou'' and "History of the Northern Dynasties" said he died at 34, but his tombstone said he died at 33. Xianbei name Pihetu (毗賀突), formally Prince Yang of Qi (齊煬王) ...

, 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