Murong (; LHC: *''mɑ^C-joŋ''; EMC: *''mɔ^h-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

Mongols The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...

Таскин В. С. (1984)
Материалы по истории древних кочевых народов группы дунху.
Москва: Наука. p. 5. In Russian: ''"Мы в настоящей работе не имеем возможности из-за огромного по объему материала остановиться на монголоязычных племенах мужун и тоба."''Таскин В. С. (1992)

' Москва: Наука. p. 4. In Russian: ''"Мужуны по традиции относятся к этнической группе дунху, включавшей различные монголоязычные племена. Выбранные из достоверных исторических источников, сведения о мужунах дают ценный материал для изучения этногенеза современных монголов, их обычаев и культуры."'' p. 16: ''"Хотя сяньбийские племена мужун, цифу и туфа пользовались сюннускими титулами, около десятка слов из бытовой лексики, сохранившихся в источниках, с успехом могут быть отождествлены с соответствующими монгольскими словами. А ведь язык наиболее показательный этнический признак, и возможность отождествления говорит о том, что сяньбийцы относились к монголоязычным племенам."'' nomadic

confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical iss ...

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the fo ...

. The Former Yan (337–370), Western Yan (384–394), Later Yan (384–409) dynasties as well as Tuyuhun (285–670) were all founded by the Murong peoples. Murong is also a surname, predominantly used by peoples of Xianbei descent. Prominent individuals who bear the surname include the Emperors and family of Former Yan and Later Yan, Murong Ke (慕容恪), Murong Long (慕容隆),

Murong Sanzang 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 MongolsТаски ...

(慕容三藏),

Murong Yanzhao 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 MongolsТаски ...

(慕容延钊), Murong Yanchao (慕容彦超), Murong Nong (慕容农), Murong Han (慕容翰),

Murong Chuqiang 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 MongolsТаски ...

(慕容楚强),

Murong Haoran 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 MongolsТаски ...

(慕容浩然), and the fictional character

Murong Fu The following is a list of characters from the wuxia novel ''Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils'' by Jin Yong. There are over 230 characters in the novel, including those who are only mentioned by name. Some characters such as Duan Yu, Duan Zhengchun, D ...

(慕容復). When Han peoples during the reign of Yuwen Tai were forced to change their surnames, Murong was one of three officially mandated Xianbei surnames. This policy was reversed by Emperor Wen of Sui, but some Han peoples retained the Murong surname.

Origins

The chieftain Murong was the first ancestor of the Murong tribe, which was named after him. He was a ''daren'' (chieftain noble) of the Middle Section during the rule of Tanshihuai (reigned 156–181). The '' Records of the Three Kingdoms'' records: The Xianbei state of Tanshihuai to which the Murong belonged fragmented following the fall of

Budugen Budugen (died 233) was a Xianbei chieftain who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty and Three Kingdoms period of China. He retained his independence by pledging allegiance to the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period and sending t ...

(187–234), who was the younger brother of Kuitoi (reigned 185–187). Kuitou was the nephew of Tanshihuai's incapable son and successor Helian (reigned 181–185). The Murong consequently broke off and submitted to the

Cao Wei Wei ( Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' <

Middle Chinese

: *''ŋjwei^C'' < Liaoxi area. The Murong ruler at this time was Murong Mohuba (莫护跋), a descendant of the chieftain Murong. Murong Mohuba actively supported Sima Yi's Liaodong campaign in 238, leading an auxiliary Murong force. Mohuba was succeeded in 246 by his son Muyan (木延) who also aided the Cao Wei campaign against the

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled mos ...

that same year. Muyan's son Shegui (涉歸), however, fought against the

Jin dynasty (266–420) The Jin dynasty (; ) or the Jin Empire, sometimes distinguished as the (司馬晉) or the (兩晉), was an imperial dynasty of China that existed from 266 to 420. It was founded by Sima Yan (Emperor Wu), eldest son of Sima Zhao, who had p ...

, and was pushed back to the upper Liao River region. Shegui died in 283, and his younger brother Shan (刪) usurped the leadership. Murong Shan was killed in 285, and the people proclaimed Shegui's son Murong Hui (廆 b. 268, r. 285–333) as their chieftain. Hui attacked the Buyeo kingdom in the very year he became the chieftain of the Murong tribe, capturing ten thousand prisoners. He launched an attack on the agricultural area of the Liao River basin in 286 that had been occupied by

Han Chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive v ...

settlers after Emperor Wu of Han's conquest of Gojoseon in 108 BCE. Hui founded a new capital nearby the modern-day city of

Chaoyang, Liaoning Chaoyang () is a prefecture-level city in western Liaoning province, People's Republic of China. With a vast land area of almost , it is by area the largest prefecture-level city in Liaoning, and borders on Hebei province and the Inner Mongolia ...

in 294. In 284, an internal feud developed between Murong Hui and his older brother, Tuyuhun, which folktales explained as being caused by a horse race but which was in fact caused by disputes over the position of Khan. As a result of the dispute, Murong Tuyuhun led his people and undertook a long westward journey passing through the Ordos Loop all the way to Qinghai Lake. Some Murong members live in a town in Guangdong. Zhaoqing is the area where they lived since they moved from north to south. They practice no aspect of Xianbei culture or identity. The move to southern China from the north is described in their genealogical records. They are descended from Murong Bao. They moved to southern China after the foundation of the Ming dynasty.

Language

The Xianbei are generally considered speakers of Mongolic languages. Some tribes such as the Duan, Qifu and Tufa have not left sufficient evidence to prove that they, as sub-tribes, were in fact Mongolic, although most scholars assume that they were Mongolic based on some indications. There is no doubt, however, regarding the Khitan and Shiwei sub-tribes being Mongolic (in their case there is strong evidence). As far as the Murong are concerned, the evidence pointing in the Mongolic direction is relatively convincing. Shimunek (2017) identifies the language of the Murong as Tuyuhun, or at least a linguistic variety closely related to it. The Dunhuang Documents, P. 1283 (in Tibetan) records a very important piece of information about the Khitan and Murong: The Khitan language is widely recognized as Mongolic. Mongolic, Turkic and Tungusic are mutually unintelligible, although they share significant loan-vocabulary. The title Khagan was first seen in a speech between 283 and 289, when the Xianbei chief Murong Tuyuhun (son of Murong Shegui by an illegitimate wife) tried to escape from his younger stepbrother Murong Hui, and began his route from Liaodong to the areas of Ordos Desert. One of Murong's generals called Yinalou addressed him as (, later ), some sources suggests that Tuyuhun might also have used the title after settling at Koko Nor in the 3rd century. Some suggest that the titles Khan and Khagan were originally Mongolic. The Song of the Xianbei Brother is a popular song of the Xianbei people composed by Murong Hui in 285 AD. It is preserved in Chinese translation and is about the Xianbei chief's regrets for having sent his brother Tuyuhun away to the West. The original Chinese translation left the Xianbei word for elder brother (A-kan) in the title, which is identical to the Mongolic word for elder brother (Aqan or Aghan). The same word exists in Turkic and Tungusic languages, but the Xianbei are generally considered Mongolic peoples. This would make the song one of the earliest attestations of a Mongolic language. The modern day minority of ''White Mongols'' or Monguor are regarded as the culturally and ethnically-distinct descendants of the Murong.Hu, Alex J.(2010) 'An overview of the history and culture of the Xianbei ('Monguor'/'Tu')', Asian Ethnicity, 11: 1, 95–164.

Genetics

A genetic study published in the '' American Journal of Physical Anthropology'' in November 2007 examined of 17 individuals buried at the Murong Xianbei cemetery in Lamadong,

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 northernmo ...

, China ca. 300 AD. They were determined to be carriers of the maternal haplogroups B, C, D, F, G2a, Z, M, and J1b1. These haplogroups are common among East Asians, and to a lesser extent Siberians. The maternal haplogroups of the Murong Xianbei were noticeably different from those of the Huns and Tuoba Xianbei.

Rulers

*Murong Mohuba (238) *Murong Muyan (246) *Murong Shegui (died 283) *Murong Shan (died 285) *Murong Hui (285–333)

People

* Murong Bao (355–398), formally Emperor Huimin of (Later) Yan * Murong Chao (385–410), last emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei state Southern Yan * Murong Chong (d. 386), formally Emperor Wei of (Western) Yan * Murong Chui (326–396), formally Emperor Wucheng of (Later) Yan * Murong De (336–405), formally Emperor Xianwu of (Southern) Yan * Murong Fuyun (597–635), ruler of the Xianbei/Qiang/Tibetan state Tuyuhun *

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 ...

(297–348), formally Prince Wenming of (Former) Yan * Murong Hong (d. 384), founder of the Chinese/Xianbei state Western Yan * Murong Hui (269–333), Xianbei chief and Duke Xiang of Liaodong, posthumously honored as Prince Wuxuan of Yan * Murong Jun (319–360), formally Emperor Jingzhao of (Former) Yan * Murong Ke (d. 367), formally Prince Huan of Taiyuan * Murong Lin (d. 398), general and imperial prince of the Chinese/Xianbei state Later Yan * Murong Long (d. 397), formally Prince Kang of Gaoyang * Murong Nong (d. 398), formally Prince Huanlie of Liaoxi * Murong Nuohebo (d. 688), last khan of the Xianbei/Qiang/Tibetan state Tuyuhun * Murong Sheng (373–401), an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei state Later Yan * Murong Ping (?–?), regent of the Chinese/Xianbei state Former Yan during the reign of Murong Wei (Emperor You) * Murong Shun (d. 635), khan of the Xianbei/Qiang/Tibetan state Tuyuhun * Murong Wei (350–385), formally Emperor You of (Former) Yan *

Murong Xi Murong Xi (; 385–407; r. 401–407), courtesy name Daowen (道文), formally Emperor Zhaowen of (Later) Yan ((後)燕昭文帝), was an emperor of the Xianbei-led Later Yan dynasty of China. He was one of the youngest sons of Murong Chui (Em ...

(385–407), emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei state Later Yan * Murong Yao (d. 386) was an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei state Western Yan * Murong Yi (d. 386) was a ruler of the Chinese/Xianbei state Western Yan * Murong Yong (d. 394), last emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei state Western Yan * Murong Zhong (d. 386) emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei state Western Yan * Princess Murong, princess of Northern Yan, wife of Feng Hong

References

Sources

* {{Mongolic ethnic groups , state=expanded History of China History of Mongolia Sixteen Kingdoms Xianbei Individual Chinese surnames zh:慕容部