Five Barbarians

Quick Facts: Who was Five Barbarians?

Subject:

Five Barbarians

Known for:

Historical exonym for five non-Han peoples who overthrew the Western Jin dynasty in northern China.

Died:

Living / None

Verified Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The Five Barbarians, or Wu Hu (Chinese: 五胡; pinyin: Wǔ Hú), is a Chinese historical exonym for five ancient non-Han "Hu" peoples who immigrated to northern China in the Eastern Han dynasty, and then overthrew the Western Jin dynasty and established their own kingdoms in the 4th–5th centuries. The peoples categorized as the Five Barbarians were the Xiongnu, Jie, Xianbei, Qiang and Di. Out of the five tribal ethnic groups, the Xiongnu, Jie and Xianbei were nomadic peoples from the northern steppes. The Di and Qiang were from the highlands of western China. The Qiang were predominantly herdsmen, while the Di were farmers.

Career & Major Achievements

While these people's ethnic identity is uncertain, theories and research suggest that they may have Turkic, Proto-Mongolic, Tibeto-Burman or Tungusic origins. Although the term "Five Barbarians" is often used alongside the Sixteen Kingdoms, there were in fact more than five relevant non-Han groups during the period, such as the Dingling and Wuhuan. Patrilineally, the ruling family of Cheng-Han descended from the Bandun Man or Zong, though they are referred to as Ba Di due to their intermarriage with the Di. The Juqu clan of Northern Liang were Lushuihu, a complex multiethnic people, but are often classified as Xiongnu in historiography. Gao Yun, who can either be interpreted as the last ruler of Later Yan or first ruler of Northern Yan, was an ethnic Goguryeo.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The "Five Barbarians" or "Wu Hu" (五胡) first appeared in an edict written by Empress Dowager Chu Suanzi of the Eastern Jin dynasty in 357 CE, though the conventional understanding of the term today only took shape in the Southern Song period, almost a thousand years later. Some modern scholars believe that the initial usage of "Wu Hu" did not refer to five specific ethnic groups, but was instead related to the theoretical concept of the Five Virtues Cycle. The cycle was invoked by ancient Chinese rulers to justify dynastic transitions, with the ruler of a new dynasty adopting an element (Fire, Water, Wood, Metal, and Earth) generated by the element of the previous dynasty. During the Sixteen Kingdoms period, prophecies were an important tool for non-Han people to legitimize their regimes, and many were familiar with the Five Virtues. As ethnic minorities rose and conquered one another for control over northern China, a popular prophecy subsequently emerged among them, foretelling a sequence of five "barbarian" dynasties (五胡次序; "Sequence of the Five Barbarians") based on the Five Virtues Cycle.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Five Barbarians

True or False: “The term 'Five Barbarians' (Wu Hu) was first used to refer to five specific ethnic groups immediately after the fall of the Western Jin dynasty.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): The term first appeared in an edict by Empress Dowager Chu Suanzi in 357 CE, but its conventional understanding only took shape much later during the Southern Song period.

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