單于

From Xiongnu *tān-wa. Earliest extant attestations of this title in Chinese are 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 (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”)