The Xunyu (Chinese: 獯鬻; Wade–Giles: Hsünyü, pronounced Hünyü) is the name of an ancient nomadic tribe which invaded China during legenary times. They are often identified as the Xiongnu.
Chinese annals contain a number of references to the Xunyu. The earliest authors were Sima Qian (ca. 145 or 135 BC–86 BCE), Ying Shao (140-206 CE), Wei Zhao (204-273 CE), and Jin Zhuo (ca. late 3rd–4th c. CE).[1] Without citing any arguments, they claimed that Xunyu or Xianyun were names that designated nomadic people who during the Han dynasty were called Xiongnu (匈奴). That view was also held by the Tang dynasty commentator Sima Zhen (ca. 8th c. CE).[2]
Based on phonetical studies and comparisons of inscriptions on bronze and the structure of the characters, Wang Guowei (1877–1927) came to the conclusion that the tribal names Guifan, Xunyu, Xianyu (鮮虞), Xianyun (獫狁), Jung, Di, and Hu in the old annals designated one and the same people, who later entered Chinese history under the name Xiongnu,[3][4][5] and Eurasian history under the name Huns.
The exact period when the form Xunyu existed as the oldest phonetization of the name "Hun" remains unclear: Sima Qian stated that in the earlier pre-historic period the "Huns" were called Hu and Jung, and in the late pre-historic period Xunyu. In the literate period starting with the Yin Dynasty (殷代, 1600–1046 BC) they were called Guifan, in the Zhou period (1045–256 BC) they were called Xianyun, and starting from the Qin period (221–206 BC) the Chinese annalists called them Xiongnu.[6][7]