單于

See also: 单于

Chinese

		phonetic
trad. (單于)		單	于
simp. (单于)		单	于

Etymology

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

Cognate with Mongolian ᠳᠠᠷᠤᠭ᠎ᠠ (darug-a) / дарга (darga, “chief; head; governor”), Persian داروغه (dâruğe, “governor”), Old Turkic 𐱃𐰺𐰴𐰣 (tarqan, “commander”).

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

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): chányú

  (Zhuyin): ㄔㄢˊ ㄩˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sim⁴ jyu⁴ / sin⁴ jyu⁴
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): siân-û / siân-u / siân-î

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: chányú
    • Zhuyin: ㄔㄢˊ ㄩˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: chányú
    • Wade–Giles: chʻan²-yü²
    • Yale: chán-yú
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: charnyu
    • Palladius: чаньюй (čanʹjuj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂʰän³⁵ y³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: sim⁴ jyu⁴ / sin⁴ jyu⁴
    • Yale: sìhm yùh / sìhn yùh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sim⁴ jy⁴ / sin⁴ jy⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: xim⁴ yu⁴ / xin⁴ yu⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /siːm²¹ jyː²¹/, /siːn²¹ jyː²¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: siân-û
    • Tâi-lô: siân-û
    • Phofsit Daibuun: sien'uu
    • IPA (Xiamen): /siɛn²⁴⁻²² u²⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: siân-u
    • Tâi-lô: siân-u
    • Phofsit Daibuun: sien'w
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /siɛn²⁴⁻²² u³³/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: siân-î
    • Tâi-lô: siân-î
    • Phofsit Daibuun: sien'ii
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /siɛn¹³⁻²² i¹³/

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• Middle Chinese: dzyen hju

Rime
Character	單	于
Reading #	2/4	1/1
Initial (聲)	常 (25)	云 (35)
Final (韻)	仙 (77)	虞 (24)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Closed
Division (等)	III	III
Fanqie	市連切	羽俱切
Baxter	dzyen	hju
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/d͡ʑiᴇn/	/ɦɨo/
Pan Wuyun	/d͡ʑiɛn/	/ɦio/
Shao Rongfen	/d͡ʑjæn/	/ɣio/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/d͡ʑian/	/ɦuə̆/
Li Rong	/ʑiɛn/	/ɣio/
Wang Li	/ʑĭɛn/	/ɣĭu/
Bernhard Karlgren	/ʑi̯ɛn/	/i̯u/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	chán	yú
Expected Cantonese Reflex	sin4	jyu4

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*dar  ɦʷa/

  (Zhengzhang): /*djan  ɢʷa/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	單	于
Reading #	1/2	2/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	chán	yú
Middle Chinese	‹ dzyen ›	‹ hju ›
Old Chinese	/*dar/ (< *[d]ar)	/*ɦʷa/ (< *ɢʷ(r)a)
English	單于 chányú: Xiōngnú ruler (W. Hàn)	單于 chányú: Xiōngnú ruler (W. Hàn)
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	單	于
Reading #	2/4	1/1
No.	2027	15706
Phonetic component	單	于
Rime group	元	魚
Rime subdivision	1	0
Corresponding MC rime	鋋	于
Old Chinese	/*djan/	/*ɢʷa/
Notes		王筠雲籲初文

Noun

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.

Proper noun

單于

1. a surname: Chanyu

Japanese

Kanji in this term
單	于
ぜん Jinmeiyō	う Hyōgai
goon	on'yomi

Kanji in this term
單	于
せん Jinmeiyō	う Hyōgai
kan'on	on'yomi

Noun

單(ぜん)于(う) or 單(せん)于(う) • (zen'u or sen'u) 

1. Kyūjitai form of 単于 (“chanyu”)

Korean

Hanja in this term
單	于

Noun

單于 • (seonu) (hangeul 선우)

1. hanja form^? of 선우 (“chanyu”)

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
單	于

Noun

單于

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