單于

From Xiongnu. Earliest extant attestations of this title (reconstructed as *darƣʷa), in the Chinese inscriptions are found in ruins of Xiongnu's capital 龍城／龙城 (Lóngchéng), in modern Mongolia.

Of disputed origin, multiple theories have been proposed:

• Vovin et al. derive from a Proto-Yeniseian compound meaning "Northern ruler."^[1] Compare Proto-Yeniseian *tewtɬ < [*tewk-atɬ] (“downriver; North”)^[2] and *[ɢej-]qan (“ruler, Khagan”, literally “big-ruler”),^[3] for the potential etyma.
• Bailey derives from Proto-Iranian *tark- (“to speak, command”), from Proto-Indo-European *telkʷ-. He also compares a Saka title with the same semantic shift. Compare also Khotanese [script needed] (ttarkana) and Ossetian тӕрхон (tærxon). ^[4]
• Dybo derives from a Turkic root meaning "vast as the sky", and compares *𐾀𐽰𐽾𐽲𐽰𐽺𐽹𐽰𐽲 (*tʾrqʾnmʾq /⁠*tarḳan-⁠/) and 𐾀𐽰𐽾𐽲𐽰𐽾𐽹𐽰𐽲 (tʾrqʾrmʾq /⁠tarḳar-⁠/).^[5] It should be noted however that the supposed Old Uyghur tarḳan- listed in her work is not found in Wilkens (2021),^[6] and Caferoğlu (1968)^[7] glosses tarḳan- as "to feel embarrassed, to get tired of, to worry". tarḳar-, meanwhile, is glossed by both as "to expel, to distance oneself from something; to destroy, to expunge".
  • A Turkic origin is doubted by Doerfer, due to the Turkic forms having an irregular plural. ^[8]

Cognate with Mongolian ᠳᠠᠷᠤᠭ᠎ᠠ (darug_a) / дарга (darga, “chief; head; governor”), Persian داروغه (dārūġa / dâruġe, “governor”), Old Turkic 𐱃𐰺𐰴𐰣 (t¹r¹qn¹ /⁠tarqan⁠/, “commander”) (from Proto-Turkic *tarkan), Sogdian 𐽂𐽀𐼲𐼴𐼰𐼻 (trɣwʾn).

Related to 答剌罕 (dálàhǎn, “tarkhan”), 達魯噶／达鲁噶 (“darugha”), 達魯花赤／达鲁花赤 (“darughachi”).

單于

1. (historical) chanyu (a supreme ruler of one or more nomadic tribes of Inner Asian peoples, at some point between the 4th century BCE and the 4th century CE; most notably a ruler of the Xiongnu)

   • 於是匈奴貴人大臣皆服，以冒頓單于為賢。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     于是匈奴贵人大臣皆服，以冒顿单于为贤。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

     Yúshì Xiōngnú guìrén dàchén jiē fú, yǐ Mòdùn chányú wéi xián. [Pinyin]

     Therefore, all Xiongnu nobles and high officials were won over and considered Modun chanyu to be worthy.

   • 莽乃遣使易單于印，貶鉤町王為侯。二方始怨，侵犯邊境。莽遂興師，發三十萬眾，欲同時十道並出，一舉滅匈奴。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     莽乃遣使易单于印，贬钩町王为侯。二方始怨，侵犯边境。莽遂兴师，发三十万众，欲同时十道并出，一举灭匈奴。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Book of Han, circa 1^st century CE

     Mǎng nǎi qiǎnshǐ yì chányú yìn, biǎn Gōudīng wáng wéi hóu. Èr fāng shǐ yuàn, qīnfàn biānjìng. Mǎng suì xìngshī, fā sānshíwàn zhòng, yù tóngshí shí dào bìng chū, yījǔ miè xiōngnú. [Pinyin]

     Wang Mang sent a commissioner to change the seal of the chanyu [to be a lesser one] and degraded the King of Gouding to be a marquis. Not until then did these two quarters become resentful and trespass the borders. Wang Mang thereupon raised an army, mobilizing a multitude of 300,000 men, intending to go out by ten routes simultaneously to annihilate the Xiongnu at one single stroke.

單于

1. a surname, Chanyu

單于 • (seonu) (hangeul 선우)

1. hanja form^? of 선우 (“chanyu”)

單于

1. chữ Hán form of thiền vu (“chanyu”)