Di (ethnic group)
Encyclopedia
The Di were an ethnic group
in China
from the 8th century BCE to approximately the middle of the 6th century CE. Note that the character Di (氐) is used to differentiate this group from the Beidi
(北狄), a generic term for "northern barbarians". They lived in areas of the present-day provinces of Gansu
, Qinghai
, Sichuan
and Shaanxi
. During the 4th and early 5th centuries, they established Former Qin
and Later Liang
states of that era's Sixteen Kingdoms. They were traditional horse animal husbandry nomads, semi-nomadic shepherds, and goatherds living on the Tibet/Sichuan frontier.
The Di were eventually assimilated
into other populations. The modern Baima
(Ch. White Horse) people living in southeast Gansu
and northwest Sichuan
maybe descended from the Di. Genetic evidence of the Di can also be found in one of the Sichuan ethnic minorities.
valley where they built their capital near Mount Qi
(before 1107BC). In 676-651 Duke Xian of Jin
conquered a number of Rong and Di groups. In 662 the Di drove the Rong out of Taiyuan
. In 662-659 the state of Xing was nearly destroyed by the Chi Di (Red Di) until it was rescued by Qi. In 660BC the Chi Di took the capital of Wey
and killed its king, but were driven out by Qi. From 660 to 507 Jin fought many wars with the Di, destroying Chi Di state of Lu
in 594, 'subjugating' them in 541 and being severely defeated by the Xianyu
Di in 507. In 640 the Di were allied with Qi and Xing against Wey and in 636 the Di helped the Zhou king against the state of Cheng. In 531 Jin attacked the Xianyu and Fei. By about 400 BCE most of the Di and Rong had been eliminated as independent polities. Zhongshan was conquered by Wei in 406, regained its independence in 377 and was conquered by Zhou in 295. Circa 283-265 Tian Dan fought with Di who seem to have lived within the area of the Chinese states.
(匈奴), Jie
(羯), Xianbei
(鮮卑), Di
(氐), and Qiang (羌) overran northern China. This was the period of what the historians called "The Five Barbarians and the Sixteen Kingdoms" (Wu Hu
五胡十六國). During that period, Di ruled the states of Former Qin
(351-394) and Later Liang
(386-403).
The tribe of Di (氐) was originally from the southern part of Gansu province (甘肅省). Its leader was Fu Jian
(符堅), who founded the Former Qin
Kingdom (前秦王國 351-394 AD). He established his capital in Changan (長安 the present day city of Xian 西安市 in Shaanxi province 陜西省). He appointed Wang Meng (王猛), a Han-Chinese, to be his Prime Minister. He built a highly Sinicized administration and formed a strong Han-Chinese infantry army to accompany his Di cavalry.
In 370 AD, Fu Jian conquered the Kingdoms of Former Yan
(前燕王國, 307-370) and Former Liang (前涼王國 345-376AD). As a result, Fu Jian occupied the whole of northern China. He then embarked upon a plan to conquer southern China which was under the Eastern Qin Dynasty (東晉朝, 317AD-420AD).
In 383 AD, Fu Jian led an army of about a million strong marching south with the intention of destroying the Eastern Jin. He met the Jin's main forces at Feishui (Fei River 肥水) in Anhui (安徽省) province.
The Jin Army of only about eighty thousand strong were under the command of Xie Shi (謝石) and Xie Xuan
(謝玄). They camped near the river, and the battle is known as the Battle of Fei. Fu Jian's campaign to conquer the south ended in disaster and his empire fell apart. He retreated to his capital of Changan, left his son Fu Pi
(符丕) in charge of the capital, and returned to his home base in southern Gansu province to find new recruits from his own Di people. While on his way, Fu Jian was captured by the soldiers of the hostile Kingdom of Later Qin
(後秦王國 384-417AD). He was later hanged by the ruler of Later Qin. His son, Fu Pi, became a new ruler of the Kingdom of Former Qin. In 394AD the Kingdom of Earlier Qin was conquered by the Kingdom of Later Qin
. The Former Qin lasted for only 44 years.
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
from the 8th century BCE to approximately the middle of the 6th century CE. Note that the character Di (氐) is used to differentiate this group from the Beidi
Beidi
Beidi or Northern Di were groups of people who lived to the north of what was then China during the Zhou Dynasty. By the end of the dynasty they were mostly conquered or absorbed by the Chinese....
(北狄), a generic term for "northern barbarians". They lived in areas of the present-day provinces of Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
, Qinghai
Qinghai
Qinghai ; Oirat Mongolian: ; ; Salar:) is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake...
, Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
and Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
. During the 4th and early 5th centuries, they established Former Qin
Former Qin
The Former Qin was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms in China. Founded by the Fu family of the Di ethnicity, it completed the unification of North China in 376. Its capital had been Xi'an up to the death of the ruler Fu Jiān. Despite its name, the Former Qin was much later and less powerful than...
and Later Liang
Later Liang
The Later Liang was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin Dynasty in China. It was founded by the Lü family of the Di ethnicity.All rulers of the Later Liang proclaimed themselves "Heavenly Prince" ....
states of that era's Sixteen Kingdoms. They were traditional horse animal husbandry nomads, semi-nomadic shepherds, and goatherds living on the Tibet/Sichuan frontier.
The Di were eventually assimilated
Cultural assimilation
Cultural assimilation is a socio-political response to demographic multi-ethnicity that supports or promotes the assimilation of ethnic minorities into the dominant culture. The term assimilation is often used with regard to immigrants and various ethnic groups who have settled in a new land. New...
into other populations. The modern Baima
Baima People
The Baima people , also called Baima Tibetan , is a subgroup of Tibetans living in the southeast of Gansu province and the northwest of Sichuan province of China, especially in Pingwu County, Jiuzhaigou County of Sichuan and Wen County of Gansu....
(Ch. White Horse) people living in southeast Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
and northwest Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
maybe descended from the Di. Genetic evidence of the Di can also be found in one of the Sichuan ethnic minorities.
Pre-Imperial time
According to legend the ancestors of Zhou dynasty lived among the Rong and Di for fourteen generations, until Gu Gong Danfu led then away to the mid-Wei RiverWei River
The Wei River is a major river in west-central China's Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. It is the largest tributary of the Yellow River and very important in the early development of Chinese civilization....
valley where they built their capital near Mount Qi
Qishan County
Qishan County is a county of Baoji, Shaanxi, China. It was the site of Zhouyuan , the first capital of the Zhou Dynasty . Historically, the site was also known as Qiyi or Qishan . It is located in Fengchu township on the Weishui River to the south of Mt. Qi...
(before 1107BC). In 676-651 Duke Xian of Jin
Duke Xian of Jin
Duke Xian of Jin , Ancestral name is Ji, given name is Guizhu , was the nineteenth ruler of the State of Jin. He was also the ninth ruler of Jin in the Spring and Autumn Period and the second duke of Jin. When his father, Duke Wu of Jin, died in 677 BC, Guizhu ascended the throne of Jin and became...
conquered a number of Rong and Di groups. In 662 the Di drove the Rong out of Taiyuan
Taiyuan
Taiyuan is the capital and largest city of Shanxi province in North China. At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 4,201,591 inhabitants on 6959 km² whom 3,212,500 are urban on 1,460 km². The name of the city literally means "Great Plains", referring to the location where the Fen River...
. In 662-659 the state of Xing was nearly destroyed by the Chi Di (Red Di) until it was rescued by Qi. In 660BC the Chi Di took the capital of Wey
Wey
-Places:*Wei The Wey spelling is used to distinguish it from Wei when both are mentioned in the same article.*River Wey*Wey and Arun Canal*Wey and Godalming Navigations...
and killed its king, but were driven out by Qi. From 660 to 507 Jin fought many wars with the Di, destroying Chi Di state of Lu
Lu (state)
The State of Lu, was a Zhou Dynasty ducal vassal state before and during the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. Founded in the 10th century BC, its dukes used Ji as their family name. The first duke was Boqin |Qi]] and to the south by the powerful state of Chu...
in 594, 'subjugating' them in 541 and being severely defeated by the Xianyu
Xianyu
Xianyu is a township-level division situated in Baoding, Hebei, China....
Di in 507. In 640 the Di were allied with Qi and Xing against Wey and in 636 the Di helped the Zhou king against the state of Cheng. In 531 Jin attacked the Xianyu and Fei. By about 400 BCE most of the Di and Rong had been eliminated as independent polities. Zhongshan was conquered by Wei in 406, regained its independence in 377 and was conquered by Zhou in 295. Circa 283-265 Tian Dan fought with Di who seem to have lived within the area of the Chinese states.
Late Antique period
During the Jin Dynasty (晉朝 265-420 AD), the five semi-nomadic tribes of XiongnuXiongnu
The Xiongnu were ancient nomadic-based people that formed a state or confederation north of the agriculture-based empire of the Han Dynasty. Most of the information on the Xiongnu comes from Chinese sources...
(匈奴), Jie
Jie
Jie might refer to:* Jie of Xia, last ruler of the Xia Dynasty of China* Jie , tribe in the Xiongnu Confederation in the 4th and 5th centuries* Jie , an ethnic group of Ugandan pastoralists....
(羯), Xianbei
Xianbei
The Xianbei were a significant Mongolic nomadic people residing in Manchuria, Inner Mongolia and eastern Mongolia. The title “Khan” was first used among the Xianbei.-Origins:...
(鮮卑), Di
Di (ethnic group)
The Di were an ethnic group in China from the 8th century BCE to approximately the middle of the 6th century CE. Note that the character Di is used to differentiate this group from the Beidi , a generic term for "northern barbarians". They lived in areas of the present-day provinces of Gansu,...
(氐), and Qiang (羌) overran northern China. This was the period of what the historians called "The Five Barbarians and the Sixteen Kingdoms" (Wu Hu
Wu Hu
Wu Hu was a Chinese term for the northern non-Chinese nomadic tribes which caused the Wu Hu uprising, and established the Sixteen Kingdoms from 304 to 439 AD.-Definition:...
五胡十六國). During that period, Di ruled the states of Former Qin
Former Qin
The Former Qin was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms in China. Founded by the Fu family of the Di ethnicity, it completed the unification of North China in 376. Its capital had been Xi'an up to the death of the ruler Fu Jiān. Despite its name, the Former Qin was much later and less powerful than...
(351-394) and Later Liang
Later Liang
The Later Liang was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin Dynasty in China. It was founded by the Lü family of the Di ethnicity.All rulers of the Later Liang proclaimed themselves "Heavenly Prince" ....
(386-403).
The tribe of Di (氐) was originally from the southern part of Gansu province (甘肅省). Its leader was Fu Jian
Fu Jian
Fu Jian may refer to:* Fú Jiàn , founding emperor of Former Qin, posthumous name Emperor Jingming* Fú Jiān , ruler of Former Qin, posthumous name Emperor Xuanzhao-See also:...
(符堅), who founded the Former Qin
Former Qin
The Former Qin was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms in China. Founded by the Fu family of the Di ethnicity, it completed the unification of North China in 376. Its capital had been Xi'an up to the death of the ruler Fu Jiān. Despite its name, the Former Qin was much later and less powerful than...
Kingdom (前秦王國 351-394 AD). He established his capital in Changan (長安 the present day city of Xian 西安市 in Shaanxi province 陜西省). He appointed Wang Meng (王猛), a Han-Chinese, to be his Prime Minister. He built a highly Sinicized administration and formed a strong Han-Chinese infantry army to accompany his Di cavalry.
In 370 AD, Fu Jian conquered the Kingdoms of Former Yan
Former Yan
The Former Yan was a state of Xianbei ethnicity during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms in China.Initially, Murong Huang and his son Murong Jun claimed the Jin Dynasty -created title "Prince of Yan," but subsequently, in 352, after seizing most of the former Later Zhao territory, Murong Juan would...
(前燕王國, 307-370) and Former Liang (前涼王國 345-376AD). As a result, Fu Jian occupied the whole of northern China. He then embarked upon a plan to conquer southern China which was under the Eastern Qin Dynasty (東晉朝, 317AD-420AD).
In 383 AD, Fu Jian led an army of about a million strong marching south with the intention of destroying the Eastern Jin. He met the Jin's main forces at Feishui (Fei River 肥水) in Anhui (安徽省) province.
The Jin Army of only about eighty thousand strong were under the command of Xie Shi (謝石) and Xie Xuan
Xie Xuan
Xie Xuan , courtesy name Youdu , formally Duke Xianwu of Kangle , was a Jin Dynasty general who is best known for repelling the Former Qin army at the Battle of Fei River, preventing the Former Qin emperor Fu Jiān from destroying Jin and uniting China.- Early career :Xie Xuan's father Xie Yi was...
(謝玄). They camped near the river, and the battle is known as the Battle of Fei. Fu Jian's campaign to conquer the south ended in disaster and his empire fell apart. He retreated to his capital of Changan, left his son Fu Pi
Fu Pi
Fu Pi , courtesy name Yongshu , formally Emperor Aiping of Qin , was an emperor of the Chinese/Di state Former Qin...
(符丕) in charge of the capital, and returned to his home base in southern Gansu province to find new recruits from his own Di people. While on his way, Fu Jian was captured by the soldiers of the hostile Kingdom of Later Qin
Later Qin
The Later Qin was a state of Qiang ethnicity of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin Dynasty in China. Note that the Later Qin is entirely distinct from the ancient Qin Dynasty, the Former Qin, and the Western Qin....
(後秦王國 384-417AD). He was later hanged by the ruler of Later Qin. His son, Fu Pi, became a new ruler of the Kingdom of Former Qin. In 394AD the Kingdom of Earlier Qin was conquered by the Kingdom of Later Qin
Later Qin
The Later Qin was a state of Qiang ethnicity of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin Dynasty in China. Note that the Later Qin is entirely distinct from the ancient Qin Dynasty, the Former Qin, and the Western Qin....
. The Former Qin lasted for only 44 years.
Surnames
- Lee, Li, Yi (李): royalty of Cheng HanCheng HanThe Cheng Han was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin Dynasty in China. It represented two states, the Cheng state proclaimed in 304 by Li Xiong and the Han state in 338 by Li Shou...
- YangYang (surname)Yang is the transcription of the Chinese family name 楊 / 杨. It is the sixth most common surname in Mainland China.- Characters :Yang is most often the transliteration of the character 楊 . The same character can also mean a type of poplar...
(楊): royalty of Qiuchi - FuFu (surname)Fu is a common spelling for some Chinese surnames, such as 傅, 符, 付, 扶, 伏, and 富.The following are people with this surname:- 傅 :According to ancient texts, the name 傅 originated in the time of the Shang dynasty king Wu Ding . Wu Ding dreamed about a man looking like a prisoner, and was told by a...
(符): royalty of Former QinFormer QinThe Former Qin was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms in China. Founded by the Fu family of the Di ethnicity, it completed the unification of North China in 376. Its capital had been Xi'an up to the death of the ruler Fu Jiān. Despite its name, the Former Qin was much later and less powerful than... - LüLü (surname)Lü is a Chinese family name, it may be spelled as Lyu, Lu or Lv, when input of the umlaut is not possible. It is transliterated as Lui in Cantonese...
: baronBaronBaron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
s of Former QinFormer QinThe Former Qin was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms in China. Founded by the Fu family of the Di ethnicity, it completed the unification of North China in 376. Its capital had been Xi'an up to the death of the ruler Fu Jiān. Despite its name, the Former Qin was much later and less powerful than...
, royalty of Later LiangLater LiangThe Later Liang was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin Dynasty in China. It was founded by the Lü family of the Di ethnicity.All rulers of the Later Liang proclaimed themselves "Heavenly Prince" .... - YúYú (Yeo)余, 餘 is Chinese surname. 余, 呂 is Chinese and Korean surname.-余 :余 is Yu, original dialect is Yá, Yú, Yur, Yeo.origin;*Yu from Xi Rong, or Rong Di*Yu from surname Xi of Xia Dynasty*Yu from Zang people of Gansu...
, Yeo (呂): barons of Former Qin, royalty of Later Liang
See also
- List of past Chinese ethnic groups.
- Qiang people (Chang people)
- BeidiBeidiBeidi or Northern Di were groups of people who lived to the north of what was then China during the Zhou Dynasty. By the end of the dynasty they were mostly conquered or absorbed by the Chinese....
- Cheng HanCheng HanThe Cheng Han was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin Dynasty in China. It represented two states, the Cheng state proclaimed in 304 by Li Xiong and the Han state in 338 by Li Shou...
- Later LiangLater LiangThe Later Liang was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin Dynasty in China. It was founded by the Lü family of the Di ethnicity.All rulers of the Later Liang proclaimed themselves "Heavenly Prince" ....
- Former QinFormer QinThe Former Qin was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms in China. Founded by the Fu family of the Di ethnicity, it completed the unification of North China in 376. Its capital had been Xi'an up to the death of the ruler Fu Jiān. Despite its name, the Former Qin was much later and less powerful than...
- ChouchiChouchiChouchi is a Chinese local regime of the Di ethnicity in modern-day Gansu Province during the Sixteen Kingdoms and Southern and Northern Dynasties.-History:...
External links
- Described in the Wei Lue (a 3rd century CE Chinese text) - Section 1 (at University of WashingtonUniversity of WashingtonUniversity of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, United States)