Touman Shanyu Retreats North: A Critical Analysis of One of the «Shi Ji» Records

Abstract

A critical analysis was conducted regarding of the record in "Shi ji" (juan 110), containing the first mention of Xiongnu leader Touman shanyu, father of Maodun, and creator of the Xiongnu empire: “当是之时，东胡强而月氏盛。匈奴单于曰头曼，头曼不胜秦，北徙”. In scholarly works various interpretations of this passage are given, in particular, the question of the dating of the departure of Touman "to the north" after the conflict with Qin, which remains debatable. Based on this study of the context of the “Shi Ji” record, and numerous examples of persistent combinations of individual characters in Han written sources, the author concludes that the transfer of Touman headquarters should be attributed to the time of the Qin Dynasty. Unfortunately the juan 110 text does not contain information which would allow for more accurate dating of this event. Therefore, it is unlikely that the passage in question would belong to a period earlier than the unification of China under Qin rule, as described directly in the text with the use of the character 后. The author also argues that the phrase十余年而 "more than ten years has passed ..." used later in the text as a characteristic of the moment of the invasion of Xiongnu in the Qin controlled part of Ordos, is of a formulaic nature and does not carry arithmetic meanings. In the Han time works "Shi Ji", "Han shu" and "Yan te lun," the formulation 十 (有) 余年 ("more than ten years") was used as a symbolic meaning of the Qin dynasty period. The sentence 头曼不胜秦，北徙 also does not give grounds for assessing the nature of the clash between Xiongnu and Qin, which caused the migration of Xiongnu. This does not preclude the possibility of considering the entry of juan 6 of "Shi ji" referring to the 33rd year of the reign of Qin Shih Huang (214 BC): "西北 斥逐 匈奴" ("In the north-west ousted and drove away Xiongnu").