Ordos bronze of man fighting bear 5th-3rd C. BCE
"The Xiongnu 匈奴 [Hsiung-nu] were originally a northern nomad people who became very powerful towards the beginning of the 3rd century BCE. They defeated the Yuezhi and Wusun, and posed a major threat to China itself. They managed, at times, to subjugate most of the countries to the north and west of China. In 51 BCE they split into two groups – the eastern (also known as ‘southern’) horde who submitted to China, and the western (or ‘northern’) horde who became the major power to the north of China. For a discussion of the derivation and possible connections of the name Xiongnu with the later Huns, see Pulleyblank (1963), p. 139.
However, in spite of Pulleyblank’s arguments, it must be admitted that the name Xiongnu carries strongly derogatory connotations, and was unlikely to have been used by the people themselves.
The first character 匈 xiong nowadays means ‘thorax’ or ‘chest,’ the seat of intelligence and emotions; but originally it had the meaning of ‘evil hidden within the man’ – see GR No. 4593. The second character, 奴 nu means simply ‘slave’ or ‘serf’. I believe the answer lies in the fact that they did not refer to themselves as Xiongnu but, rather, used other terms ore or less closely related in sound but without the derogatory overtones. The clues may be found, I believe, in the following passage from Yu (2000), p. 180 which apparently lists transcriptions of some of the names the Xiongnu tribes may have used for themselves:
“Of the tribes of the Xiongnu 匈奴as seen in the Shiji 史記, ch. 110, there was a Hunyu 渾庾 and a Hunxie 渾邪, which may have derived from the Kunwu 昆吾. This is because the Hunyu 渾庾 [kuən-jio], Hunxie 渾邪 [kuən-zya] and Kunwu 昆吾[kuən-nga] can be regarded as different transcriptions of the same name.”
Pulleyblank’s EMC reconstructions for these characters are: hunyu 渾庾 – ɣwən-juă; hunxie 渾邪 – ɣwən-zia or ɣwən-yé; kunwu 昆吾 – kwən-ŋ¿.
Although the question of a connection between some branch of the Xiongnu and the Huns who invaded Europe in the 4th century remains unproven, it does seem likely, and is accepted by many scholars. The strong possibility of phonetic connections between these names and the later names for the ‘Huns’ who invaded Europe is clear. This can be easily seen by looking at the forms of the names for the later Huns in various languages given in Partridge (1958), p. 299.
“Hun, whence Hunnian, Hunnic, Hunnish. Hun is a b/f from OE Hüne or Hünas, the Huns, itself prob. From LL Hūni (ML, usu Hunni), with less correct var Chūni or Chunni, prob from Ch Han (var Hiong-nu); cf. Skt Huṇa, Gr Ounnoi or Khounoi, and also ON Hūnar and OHG Hūni (G Hunnen). These invaders from Asia overran and terrorized Europe c372-453 A.D., Attila dying in the latter year.”
-Notes to The Western Regions according to the Hou Hanshu. Second Edition (Extensively Revised and Expanded). John E. Hill. University of Washington.
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| Ordos bronze of man fighting bear 5th-3rd C. BCE. |
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